


Ready To Get Hurt

by exotic_wolves



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Cyborgs, Drama, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, Smut, Vampires, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2020-01-10 23:35:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 60,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18418211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exotic_wolves/pseuds/exotic_wolves
Summary: In an alternate universe very unlike our own, six young men have been chosen to protect the earth and its inhabitants from the greatest threat mankind has ever known. United as a group of warriors, these six genetically engineered and fundamentally altered strangers must learn to put aside their differences, become one, and sacrifice their lives for the needs of the many.[...Hakyeon's hands flew to his face in shock and pain as an almost scorching heat suddenly enveloped him, several patches of skin on both sides of his eyes starting to burn so hot it felt as if he were being branded.And before Hakyeon even had a chance to understand what was going on...or why the icy cold shadow had suddenly started to retreat...the most beautiful hand he'd ever seen, a pale hand with delicate, long fingers, came into his line of sight as the person it belonged to - whose face and body remained in darkness - held it out to him in a gesture of help......]





	1. Chapter 1

Hakyeon unconsciously rolled around in his sleep, the movements of his sweat-covered body fluid and graceful even as his nightmare continued to hold him in its clutches and torment him.

 

_Hakyeon had just barely managed to escape the monster on his heels...but the very moment he'd thought he'd finally gotten away, he could once again feel its evil presence closing in on him...could sense the ominous darkness of the all-consuming shadow as it threatened to finally catch up and devour him._

_The sandy ground beneath his feet was flung high into the air as his frantic footsteps sped across the dry, dunelike surface. Hakyeon blinked, fine dust hitting his eyes and making them water after a strong gust of wind flung a substantial amount of dry dirt right at him. Unable to see a single thing as he continued to run across the uneven ground, Hakyeon finally lost his footing and hit the ground hard._

_Disregarding the throbbing pain in his grazed hands and knees, Hakyeon immediately tried to pick himself back up and continue running. But his shaky knees couldn't hold his weight, his body crumbling to the ground once again just as the dark shadow of the evil creature on his trail slowly started to steal across his body._

_Hakyeon squeezed his eyes shut, the loud drumming in his ears growing along with the rate of his frantically beating heart. But even with his eyes tightly shut, Hakyeon could sense the beast steadily coming nearer...and could feel its icy cold touch starting to sweep over him..._

_Just before it could reach his heart, Hakyeon's hands flew to his face in shock and pain as an almost scorching heat suddenly enveloped him, several patches of skin on both sides of his eyes starting to burn so hot it felt as if he were being branded._

_And before Hakyeon even had a chance to understand what was going on...or why the icy cold shadow had suddenly started to retreat...the most beautiful hand he'd ever seen, a pale hand with delicate, long fingers, came into his line of sight as the person it belonged to - whose face and body remained in darkness - held it out to him in a gesture of help..._

 

Hakyeon's eyes shot wide open as the pain he'd felt in his sleep transcended the realm of dreams, following him back into consciousness with a burning sensation so intense that he felt his head might actually split in two. After falling off the bed and scraping his hands and knees on the floor of his room in his haste to get to the mirror in his adjoining bathroom, Hakyeon managed to take a look at his reflection just as the last traces of something brightly glowing disappeared from the skin beside his eyes.

 

The split second that he'd managed to catch a glimpse of whatever had caused the pain, hadn't really been enough to make out what it could have been. And by the time several minutes had passed and the pain had completely vanished, Hakyeon was sure he must have imagined the brightly glowing markings he thought he'd seen next to his eyes or the creepy looking irises that had shone brightly yellow for a split second before returning to their natural color as soon as he'd blinked.

 

Shaking so badly that he had to hold himself upright by gripping the sink in front of him as firmly as he could - and feeling as though he might have to throw up at any second - Hakyeon closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. 

 

_Just a dream,_ he tried to convince himself by repeating the words over and over again in his mind, _It was just a dream...no, a nightmare,...that's all it was. It means nothing._

 

But as much as he repeated the words to himself, the comfort they should have brought eluded him. Instead, the mantra was overshadowed by an overwhelming, ominous feeling...the feeling that what he'd dreamt of had been real - even if it hadn't happened yet.

 

          _Haha, what's wrong with you...you've gone crazy,_ Hakyeon laughed at himself, the sound coming out of his mouth too hysterical for his own liking. And even though he knew he was losing it, there was simply nothing he could do about it.

 

Looking straight at his mirror image, as though he thought he could fight the part of him that was starting to go crazy if he confronted his own reflection long enough, Hakyeon locked eyes with himself for the second time after having had the strange nightmare. But instead of seeing the eyes he was used to...or even the mysteriously altered, brightly glowing yellow irises he thought he'd seen before...the only thing looking back at him were eyes he suddenly recognized as not being his own.

 

Instead of seeing the familiar shape he was used to, the pair of eyes he stood staring at in utter disbelief looked more like those of a cat, the intensity with which they locked onto his own making him feel as though he was being regarded as prey. And although he could somehow sense that the person this intense stare belonged to meant him no real harm, the whole situation and the surreality of the nightmare he'd had not too long ago, made Hakyeon finally lose his consciousness and crumble to the cold floor of his bathroom...    

 

 


	2. Hopeless

Hakyeon's eyes were still closed, but he was slowly regaining consciousness. He could feel the soft material of his pillow underneath his head and smell the familiar fragrance of the softener his mom always used. A few seconds after realizing that one of his parents must have found him lying on the floor of his room and laid him down on his bed, he could hear both of his parents' soft voices as they urgently discussed something in hushed tones. 

 

He was just about to open his eyes and let them know that he was awake again when completely unfamiliar voices joined those of his parents, making him pause and keep his eyes firmly shut. Something about the tone of their voices and the fact that there were strangers in his house at all when his parents had always been adamant about not admitting people they didn't know to their home, had Hakyeon suddenly feeling alarmed.

 

Not wanting to draw attention to himself so that he could secretly listen to what they were discussing while they thought he was still unconscious, Hakyeon kept his eyes shut, his ears perked up, and unabashedly eavesdropped on their conversation.

 

"I don't understand a word you've been saying...," his mother urgently whispered, apparently not wanting to wake Hakyeon up, "...and quite frankly, I'm not even sure if you're really working for the government as you claim to be."

 

          "Madam...we understand your concerns...", one of the unknown visitors answered calmly in a very deep voice - Hakyeon pictured a powerfully built male in his twenties or thirties, "...but we _did_ show you identification even before we entered your home. Now..."

 

          "That could be fake, for all we know," his mother insisted, rudely interrupting the man who'd spoken.

 

           _Yes! Show them what you're made of!_ Hakyeon silently applauded his mother's gumption while concentrating hard on keeping a straight face in order to retain the pretense that he was still unconscious.

 

He loved the fact that his mother, though almost always soft and caring, could be as tough as nails when it came to protecting her family.

 

          "Madam...please...," another voice Hakyeon hadn't heard before suddenly rang through the room - a female, Hakyeon realized, "...if you can't trust our words or the identification we showed you, we will wait for you to confirm our identities as well as our orders with our superior. You may make inquiries by calling our main office. We will gladly wait while you make the call."

 

Silence filled the room. And even Hakyeon, whose eyes were still closed, could sense that the atmosphere had just completely changed following the female agent's words. He could tell that his parents already believed her statement, the polite way in which she'd phrased it, her soft, understanding tone of voice, as well as the fact that she was a woman having gained their trust in the end. Nonetheless, Hakyeon soon listened to his mother's voice as she called information, asked for the main office's number, and went through several forwardings in order to talk to the person in charge.

 

          "There are three agents in my house right at this moment claiming they are here to take my son...," his mother said, making Hakyeon's heart race uncontrollably now that the actual details he hadn't been able to catch earlier were finally revealed - what the hell could they mean by 'taking him'? - "...and they have yet to disclose the actual nature of what it is they want with him...or why they believe they have any right to take him in the first place...I, therefore, demand an explanation."

 

Hakyeon fully expected to hear his mother go on and on after listening to the explanation she'd asked for and to argue and fiercely fight the person in charge. What he hadn't expected - at all! - was that his mother would suddenly be rendered speechless and proceed to give mostly monosyllabic replies in such a feeble, lifeless voice that it made Hakyeon's blood freeze in his veins.

 

          "Yes...Yes...Alright...Understood...Sir," his mother said, her voice gradually dying more with every compliant word out of her mouth.

 

          Hakyeon suddenly felt warm wetness run down his cheeks. 

 

And though he hadn't actually planned on giving up his ruse just yet, it was no longer important that they believed he was still unconscious. He'd heard all he'd needed to hear...everything he'd never wanted to hear...never thought he would ever hear in his entire life. 

          

          His mother had simply given up. 

 

He had no idea what the person on the other end of the line had said to his mother - if he or she had perhaps threatened or blackmailed her - and he knew it wasn't her fault and that she'd tried her best at first. But the way in which she'd simply given up in the end - no matter what she'd been threatened with! - and the lifeless tone of her voice (the memory of which would haunt him for a long time to come) were simply breaking his heart, the tears flowing freely as the seconds ticked by.

 

Hakyeon couldn't stop the tears from falling, he couldn't help it. There he was, 23 years old and still living with his parents. His life hadn't even started yet. Having always only studied hard for school and college for as long as he could remember, he'd never experienced the things in life which made life worth living for in the first place. Now, it seemed he never would. He would simply be taken away by strangers...ripped from the loving bosom of his family and the familiar surroundings of his home and school...and brought God knows where not knowing what they wanted him for or if he'd ever see his parents and his home again.

 

Feeling utterly hopeless to continue a fight his own family seemed to already have given up - and feeling lonelier than he'd ever been during his entire existence - Hakyeon simply let the agents drag him from the no longer comforting warmth of what used to be his own bed in the safe, loving home he'd grown up in and escort him to the black, shining car waiting for them at the entrance of the house.

 

Without even meeting his parents' eyes for what might be the last time for all he knew - because it would have broken his heart a thousand times over if he had - Hakyeon left his room, his house, his family, heading toward the unknown future he knew he never would have chosen for himself if his life had actually belonged to _him_...

 

 


	3. Deal With the Devil

Hakyeon's mother still stood at the window of her son's abandoned room long after he'd been taken away, her face branded by streaks of dried tears...tears that had finally stopped streaming down her face hours after she'd started crying.

 

Oh, how she wished she'd had time to tell him the truth...how she wished she'd told him long ago...so that he wouldn't have left her side thinking she'd betrayed the most important person in her life. The painfulness of their last goodbye...the look on her son's face when she'd given up...she wished with all her heart she could take back what had happened...wished she could have said goodbye to him in a better way.

 

Because even if she had the power to turn back time, she could not have kept him by her side, she knew that perfectly well. Her eyes slowly lost their focus as she delved into long forgotten memories...

 

_...The tender way in which her husband had held her and let her cry on his shoulder - the doctor she'd so desperately pinned her hopes on had finally let her know that the unbelievable number of hours they'd invested trying to enable her to get pregnant had been in vain, that he was at his wits' end, and that it was time to give up their endeavor..._

 

_...the shock and new hope she'd felt after unexpectedly being approached by a doctor who was working on a highly experimental and classified project for the government..._

 

_...the clash of emotions inside of her when the doctor had explained the stipulations of the contract she would have to sign...and the sacrifice she would have to make when a certain day in the future arrived..._

 

That day had finally come. The day whose arrival she'd been dreading for so long but had pushed to the very back of her mind so that she could manage her daily life without her heart breaking every time she thought about it.

 

And even though she loved Hakyeon more than she'd ever loved anything in her whole life, she couldn't help but wonder. Had she done the right thing? Or had it been horribly selfish of her to go through with the experimental treatment in the first place? Yes, she'd gotten what she'd so desperately wanted - a child of her own...of her and her husband's blood...a child of their love.

 

          But at what cost?

 

Looking back, her only excuse was that she really hadn't thought too much of the condition she'd agreed to in the contract. It had said that at one point in the future, when her son had reached adulthood, the government would have the right to draft him and that he would have to be at the government's disposal for some time. To her, it hadn't sounded very different from being drafted by the military - something every male would have to go through anyway. But now, she wasn't so sure anymore.

 

She'd expected them to send him a letter informing him of their intentions...or to ask him to be ready for someone to pick him up. She definitely hadn't expected that no less than _three_ agents - two of whom looked simply formidable and very dangerous - would just knock on their door completely out of the blue one day and announce that they would take her son with them (without letting him pack even a single shred of clothing or any of his other belongings).

 

At first, she'd thought it must all be some kind of mistake...a misunderstanding. But after the phonecall she'd made, the memories and worries she'd managed to push to the back of her mind and had nearly forgotten about altogether had come rushing back to her along with the realization that there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop them.

 

She could have gone up against two incredibly powerfully built men and a not much weaker looking woman...and she could have gone up against the whole government - of course, she would have lost either of those fights in a heartbeat. Nonetheless - if only for the sake of showing her son how much she cared - she should have at least tried. But the shock of suddenly remembering those almost completely buried memories and the promise she'd made in exchange for being able to have a son in the first place (he never even would have existed, had it not been for the government's medical program) had rendered her speechless and made her give in to them on the spot.

 

And now, she was left alone in the room she'd so warmly and lovingly decorated for her precious son, wondering if she'd ever even had the right to decide to have him. Suddenly afraid of what was going to happen to him, she wished she'd asked the doctor about every single detail before ever agreeing to the procedure and signing those papers. What _exactly_  did they need him for that they'd felt the need to march up with three such formidable agents just to get their hands on him?

 

If they actually ended up hurting him (something she'd never even considered, because why would a doctor, who'd sworn an oath to protect life, create a life with the intention of doing harm to it in the end?), she would never ever forgive herself. The only thing left to her now was to hope and pray that her decision so many years ago wouldn't turn out to be the biggest mistake she'd ever made and the most selfish thing she'd ever done.

 

Because if it turned out that she'd actually made a deal with the devil back then and that her precious son would end up being hurt or even killed because of her selfishness and stupidity...then she would really wish with all her heart that the most precious person she'd ever known had never been born. 

 


	4. Knocked Out

Hakyeon quietly sat in the back of the car looking out at the large and impressive stone mansion the driver had just pulled up to after passing through the grounds' main gate, which was being guarded by security cameras and armed men. After traveling for hours and hours across stretches of land that seemed uninhabited by anything other than wildlife, the driver had finally turned onto a hardly visible dirt road, which he'd followed all the way up the mountain and onto a huge terrain encircled by a high safety fence, at the center of which stood the stone mansion.

 

Hakyeon marveled at the sheer beauty of the massive building with its aloft turrets and the surrounding sweeping grounds. Truthfully, he didn't know what he'd expected after having been forced to leave his home with strange, dangerous looking agents who hadn't said _one_ word to him during the entire ride, making him feel more and more uncomfortable and afraid with each passing second. But the one thing he knew for sure was that he never would have imagined ending up at a place like this...a place that at least _looked_ like one of the most beautiful and tranquil spots he'd ever seen.

 

But even as he looked at the perfectly well-kept lawns surrounding the building, as well as the beautiful, lush meadows, weeping willows, and wild bushes he could see further in the distance, Hakyeon knew he shouldn't get his hopes up. He shouldn't let himself be deceived by appearances. So, even though it was the beginning of spring and everything around him had started to bloom and looked as beautiful and inviting as a picture, Hakyeon remained just as wary as when he'd first gotten into the car.

 

Call it a hunch or a sixth sense, he instinctively knew that behind this beautiful and inviting facade something dark and terrifying was awaiting him. This place was definitely not as peaceful as it was meant to appear.

 

Torn from his musings when one of the car's rear doors was suddenly pulled open from the outside - he hadn't even noticed that the driver had already gotten out of the car - Hakyeon suddenly struggled to keep his cool. He knew there was no point in resisting and refusing to get off the car, not when he was up against three very strong agents. Still, he couldn't seem to make his suddenly trembling body move an inch toward the open car door.

 

Without thinking twice or uttering a single word, the male agent sitting in the back seat beside him simply unceremoniously pushed Hakyeon out of the car, grabbed him by the upper arm, and - together with the second male agent - marched him straight across the beautiful stone paver walkway and through the mansion's massive wooden entrance doors, which were equipped with intricate, black iron fittings.

 

Hakyeon's mind was in disarray, the details of his surroundings very hazy as he was swiftly dragged past a large, winding staircase in the mansion's main entrance hall and down various corridors before reaching a similar, smaller staircase at the back of the building, which unlike the one at the entrance seemed to lead to lower floors as well.

 

Hakyeon could already envision being dragged down the stairs and flung into a dark, dank, dungeon-like cell with cold steel bars and stone floors. It would have coincided perfectly with the impression the agents had made on him so far. For, while they hadn't actually physically abused him, they hadn't been too gentle with him either. And since they'd basically kidnapped him without giving him any kind of explanation or talking to him _at all_ , Hakyeon fully expected to be locked away somewhere underground.

 

Which was why he was astonished when the two agents dragged him _up_ the winding staircase instead of heading in the opposite direction. After climbing up three stories, to the very top of the building, the agents escorted him all the way down one of the two corridors on the floor, which led to opposite sides of the building, until they stopped in front of a large, wooden door that was rounded at the top and equipped with a large iron padlock.

 

Well, Hakyeon thought, the fact that he was going to be locked up - even if it wasn't underground - came as no surprise to him. The men who'd brought him there and the organization that stood behind them must have known he would try to make a run for it as soon as they let him out of their sight. It was only natural that one would do anything to escape in such a situation. So perhaps, bringing him to the very top floor instead of somewhere underground was a smart move on their part - he sure as hell wasn't going to try to jump from this height, and he very much doubted that he'd be able to find enough fabric to tie together and dangle from the window to use as a rope.

 

Hakyeon watched as one of the men pulled out the key to the padlock, quickly unlocked it, and opened the door, not expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen and simply waiting to be pushed inside whatever kind of cell awaited him. But the very moment the door was pulled open far enough to enable the men to shove Hakyeon's body through the opening, an enormous force from within the room struck the door, swinging it open with such momentum that it hit Hakyeon right in the face, knocked him back out of the agents' grasps, and made him fall straight on his ass.

 

Warm wetness slowly ran down Hakyeon's lower face - his nose must be bleeding, he realized numbly. And the last thing he remembered seeing before finally blacking out (though his vision was cloudy as hell after being knocked in the head by a massive, wooden door) were beautifully shaped, long and slender fingers moving in his line of sight as the person they belonged to struggled to get through the door and past the two agents. Not thinking much of it in his disoriented state of mind, nor able to remember where he'd seen such hands before, Hakyeon simply crumpled to the floor of the corridor as darkness drowned his senses.


	5. Against the Wall

Hakyeon was drifting. Neither fully awake nor still unconscious, but somewhere in between, he felt as if his body were floating. For long moments, he couldn't remember where he was or what had happened earlier. Then, gradually, the memories started to resurface as he regained more and more of his consciousness. He'd been about to be thrown into a cell behind a padlocked door when someone had attacked his captors from the inside through the opened door.

 

Fully awake now, though his eyes remained tightly shut as he tried to remember the details of what had happened to him after the door had been opened, he suddenly felt a soft hand cup his cheek. An image of pale hands with incredibly long and delicate fingers abruptly flashed across his mind's eye.

 

Before he could even think about what to do or how to react, his eyes immediately shot open, causing the soft hand touching his cheek to twitch and instantly pull away. With the beautiful hand suddenly out of his line of sight, Hakyeon locked onto the gaze of the stranger who stood hovering directly above him holding a wet washcloth in one of his hands - it seemed as if he'd been about to wipe Hakyeon's face with it.

 

In great contrast to his body's reaction - when he'd inadvertently shown his startled and insecure side by pulling his hand away as if he'd been burned - his gaze remained steady, hard, and cold as he held Hakyeon's own.  Mesmerized by the beautiful and charismatic man opposite him - though perhaps the wiser reaction would have been to be terrified by the intensity of his gaze - Hakyeon continued to stare into the cat-like orbs...into dark brown eyes that although narrower than those of a feline had the same kind of poignancy to them as those of a cat on the prowl.

 

While Hakyeon's heart pounded powerfully against his chest, the young man hovering above him gradually pulled back without breaking eye-contact or even blinking. With a last, derogatory look, he threw the wet towel he'd been holding onto Hakyeon's lap, turned on his heels, and headed straight to the opposite end of the room, finally dismissing Hakyeon's presence - all without having said a single word!

 

Hakyeon felt stunned, to say the least. As someone who loved communicating - to the point that people even got irritated and asked him to finally stop talking - it was very unlike him to stay silent for this long. Under normal circumstances, Hakyeon would already have greeted the stranger and asked him a million different questions about the place they were at, the organization behind his kidnapping, the young man's own story, etc.

 

          But very unlike his usual, outspoken self, Hakyeon simply couldn't get a single word out - it seemed the 'cat' had really gotten his tongue!

 

Hakyeon's mind was a chaotic mess as he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position and took in his surroundings - trying hard to pretend that the man who'd touched his cheek was simply a piece of furniture or decoration. The room he was in wasn't what he'd expected. He'd thought he would end up in a cell-like room with a cold, stone floor, a worn out and dirty rag to lie on, and bars on the windows.

 

Well, there were indeed bars on the large and very wide window that had a window seat with throw pillows right beneath it. But the rest of the rather spacious room - as well as the small, adjoining bathroom, which he could see through a small gap in the curtain that partitioned it off from the bedroom - wasn't at all what he'd expected. 

 

Though the rounded, stone walls of the turret room they were in were unplastered and without any adornment, the floor was covered with warm-toned, wooden floorboards and a few brightly colored carpets; and two beds with warm and comfortable bedding, as well as other, wooden furniture, lent the room a much warmer and inviting atmosphere than Hakyeon could ever have hoped for or imagined in his current situation. If he hadn't just been kidnapped and brought there against his will - and if there hadn't been bars on the large window - he would have immediately felt at home in such a beautiful room.  

 

Lost in his thoughts and still taking in his surroundings, Hakyeon subconsciously touched his fingers to his nose. When they unexpectedly came away bloody, he abruptly recalled what had happened earlier and realized what the wet washcloth the stranger had tossed him must be for. After silently glaring at the very broad back of the one responsible for his bloody nose (though he grudgingly had to admit that it had been an accident as he'd tried to escape; or at least _would_ have admitted it if the other hadn't just treated him in such a derogatory manner) Hakyeon grabbed the washcloth and started carefully wiping at the blood still covering his nose, mouth, and chin.

 

By the time he'd finished wiping away the last traces of blood, his heart rate had calmed down again and he'd found back to his regular, talkative self. Oppressed by the heavy silence in the room, and feeling the overwhelming need for someone to tell him about the whole situation he was in, Hakyeon slowly got up from the bed he'd been placed on - presumably the bed he would be sleeping in from now on - and carefully approached the young man, who was sitting on the edge of his own bed about 10 feet away.

 

The other's head didn't even lift when Hakyeon approached him and halted directly at his feet, nor did he take his eyes off of the paperback book he held in his hand, once again completely dismissing Hakyeon's presence though he stood right before him. Unperturbed - a) because he'd fully been expecting this reaction and b) because he wasn't about to back down when he so desperately needed information - Hakyeon stood his ground and waited for his 'roommate' to finally acknowledge him and look up from his book.

 

When that didn't happen - and in truth, he'd already expected as much - Hakyeon simply started talking.

 

          "Can I ask you something?"

 

          Silence.

 

          "Okay...," Hakyeon immediately continued, highly determined, "...since you didn't say I _couldn't_ , I'll just go ahead and ask."

 

          More silence.

 

          "Why am I here?... And why are _you_ here, I guess I should add?...What do they want with me? And who are _'they'_ anyway?"

 

          No reaction.

 

          "And who are _you_? I'm Hakyeon, by the way...Anyway, these guys, they're not really government, are they?... I mean, they seem much too shady and dangerous to be government, right?... So, honestly, who are these guys?...," Hakyeon continued blabbering on even though he'd gotten absolutely no response and was ultimately only conversing with himself. 

 

          "...And is there really no way to escape?... I mean, you obviously tried to...earlier...when you...when you knocked the door in...my face..."

 

          The stranger's eyes lifted to meet Hakyeon's, his gaze turning darker.

 

          "...N-not that I blame you...," Hakyeon quickly added in a somewhat shaky voice, the man's intense, hard look suddenly unsettling him, "...I was just...just saying..."

 

Hakyeon's last words didn't seem to have made any difference, those intense eyes still glaring at him in the exact same way without blinking. Hakyeon's mouth silently opened and closed several times under the other's scrutiny, a small battle raging inside of him...one which he refused to lose in the end.

 

          "Come on...how hard can it be to just answer a few questions?... Honestly, you're not mute, are you?" Hakyeon finally said, letting his frustration get the better of him instead of biting his tongue in the presence of someone he knew absolutely nothing about and who could have easily snapped his neck by the looks of his broad shoulders and well-built body.

 

Directly following Hakyeon's thought that it might actually be wiser not to make him upset, the stranger suddenly set down his book and got to his feet, towering over Hakyeon seeing as he was quite a bit taller. Since Hakyeon had walked right up to where he'd sat on the edge of the bed, not leaving a lot of space between them, the tall man was now standing almost pressed up against Hakyeon's chest while looking down at him with a warning glint in his eyes.

 

Finally having the good sense to back off and leave him in peace when he obviously didn't feel like talking to him or reacting to his presence at all, Hakyeon took several steps back. What he hadn't reckoned with was that for every step he took backward, the young man advanced on him until he'd backed him right up against the wall.

 

Hakyeon could already picture the tall man's hands around his throat and his fingers digging into his flesh. Suddenly terrified, Hakyeon squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head as far away from his would-be attacker as possible. But instead of wrapping his fingers around his throat, the other surprised him by grabbing his chin and turning his head toward him. After waiting for Hakyeon to open his eyes and look up at him, he reached out and placed a hand over Hakyeon's lips.

 

Hakyeon knew it wasn't a good thing - he could tell that the other was annoyed with him and was basically warning him to keep quiet, to stop asking questions or talk to him at all...or else... But the only thoughts his addled brain seemed able to come up with were...

 

          ...how soft the warm skin touching his lips felt...

          ...how pleasing it looked the way several long, black strands of soft looking hair gently teased the corners of those intense looking eyes...

          ...how very close the other's face was to his own...

          ...how his warm breath gently tickled Hakyeon's nose...

          ...how soft and inviting those rosy, plump lips looked... 

          ...how desperately fast his heart was suddenly beating...

          ...but how it wasn't out of fear...

 

Before Hakyeon could make any sense of his own jumbled thoughts or define his body's reaction to the beautiful stranger's nearness - or process the utterly overwhelming notion that he actually seemed to feel attracted to someone of the same sex! - the tall man had already backed off again, gone back to his perch on the edge of his bed, and continued immersing himself in his book.

 

          _Fuck!_ was the only response that came to Hakyeon's mind as he finally wordlessly made his way back to his bed on shaking legs...  

 


	6. Out of His Depth

Taekwoon plunked himself down on his bed again, picked up his paperback novel, and pretended to lose himself in the riveting story he'd been reading.

 

          In truth, he couldn't make out any of words on the page - even while holding the book right up to his face - his mind preoccupied with the 'complication' that had simply been tossed into his room without warning.

 

Taekwoon had always been a bit different from what the majority of society would classify as 'normal'. He tended to get lost in his own little world...in his own imagination...instead of socializing and sharing his thoughts with the people surrounding him. And while he was more open with his own family members, even _they_ were used to having a hard time getting him to open up about his deeper thoughts and feelings.

 

But that's how it had always been. Taekwoon had just always preferred to remain silent and let other people do the talking. It wasn't that he didn't have significant thoughts or anything worthwhile to say, but rather that he felt it would cost him so much energy to open up and share his thoughts that it wouldn't be worth the effort in the end. The thought alone of everyone around him suddenly falling silent and giving him their undivided attention while he spoke already made Taekwoon feel tired and drained.

 

          Because the _one_ thing Taekwoon couldn't stand was getting attention.

 

Every time it happened, his head would sink lower and lower in his attempt to completely disappear from other people's radar - as if he'd been a turtle in his previous life and were used to pulling his head into his shell - causing him to always end up displaying the crown of his head instead of his face to everyone around him.

 

Because of this extreme habit of his and the fact that he always ended up feeling more embarrassed afterward, he'd worked hard over the years to ensure that it never even reached the point where he couldn't help but lower his head and ultimately sink to the floor in embarrassment. And the only thing he'd found that worked for him without fail was to put up such a tough front right from the beginning that people felt too intimidated to approach him in the first place. That was the only foolproof way to keep his weakness and constant embarrassment hidden from others.

 

          And so far, it had always worked perfectly for him. Most strangers who'd met his gaze throughout his life had immediately taken several steps back after being hit by his intense, hostile glare and had steered clear of him at once. And that was exactly what Taekwoon wanted...what he preferred.

 

Because he didn't need anyone else. He was perfectly fine being by himself without having other people butting in and complicating his life. He just wanted to be left alone!

 

And yet, here he was, not even able to concentrate on the novel he'd been so deeply immersed in up until a few hours ago - before he'd suddenly gotten a roommate - unable to get past the fact that the stranger who had so abruptly invaded his privacy seemed to have an exceptionally thick skin. Even after Taekwoon had insulted him with the look he'd given him and the way he'd tossed him the washcloth...and even after outright glaring at him when the stranger had dared to annoy him by talking on endlessly, the guy still hadn't held his tongue or kept his distance.

 

So, really, Taekwoon hadn't had any other choice than to get right up in his face and intimidate him. Because this guy simply didn't seem to understand unless he made himself one hundred percent clear. But even now - though he'd definitely noticed how shaky the other's legs had seemed as he'd headed back to his bed - Taekwoon still wasn't completely sure if he'd really gotten through to him or if the two of them would end up having serious problems with each other in the future.

 

He sincerely hoped, the guy - Hakyeon, if he remembered correctly (though why he'd even remembered his name was beyond him, it wasn't even important!) - would stop approaching him from now on. Because he didn't really _want_ to mess him up. As much as he hadn't _wanted_ to give him a bloody nose by accident when he'd tried to escape earlier. He'd even tried to make up for his mistake by at least wiping his face with a wet washcloth. But the guy had suddenly woken up. And there'd been _no way in hell_ he would have admitted that he'd been about to actually take care of him in any way!

 

So even though he hadn't _wanted_ to hurt him - though he couldn't care less about a stranger who, moreover, was extremely annoying - Taekwoon wouldn't hesitate to do exactly _that_ in order to get what he wanted...what he needed: to be left in peace, especially in this hostile environment where everybody had to be seen as an enemy!

 

After reading the same two sentences for the umpteenth time without taking in any of the words or their overall meaning, Taekwoon finally gave up and snuck a peek at the person sharing his room, feeling the need to make sure that he'd finally gotten the full 'leave-me-the-fuck-alone-or-I'll-mess-you-up-fucking-badly' message.

 

But the moment his gaze locked onto its intended target, he found the stranger's eyes glaring right back at him with an intensity and fire that matched his own, and which he'd never _once_ seen directed right back at him in his entire life. Even as his stomach lurched from shock - and from a different sort of feeling he couldn't quite place - Taekwoon realized, very much to his dismay, that he might actually be utterly out of his depth with _this one_... 

 


	7. Gone Up In Smoke

Hakyeon's eyelids fluttered open when he was torn from his sleep by a sudden series of loud sounds. Momentarily disoriented - having finally dozed off after several hours of lying awake and being unable to let down his guard in this still unfamiliar place - Hakyeon needed several moments to remember where he was and what had happened that morning.

 

Judging by the quality of the light flooding into the room, Hakyeon guessed it must be somewhere around late afternoon or early evening. By the time Hakyeon was finally able to fully concentrate on what was going on inside the room, the commotion was already over. Seeing three extremely well-built, male agents holding his roommate down while shackling his arms behind his back, Hakyeon guessed that the loud sounds he'd heard must have been from his roommate once again trying to overpower their captors and make a run for it - which he had to admit was just as admirable as it was pointless; the admirable part being that his roommate must have known just how pointless it was, but had tried it anyway. It wasn't often that he'd met someone with such a strong will to fight.

 

While the person whose name he had yet to find out was still lying on the floor and being held down by two agents, the third saw Hakyeon staring and quickly approached him.

 

          "There's no need to be afraid...," the agent walking toward him gently said while holding his hands up indicating that he meant him no harm when Hakyeon instinctively shrunk back away from him, "...I'm not going to use any force."

 

At the man's words, Hakyeon's gaze involuntarily traveled to where the two agents were keeping his still slightly struggling roommate in check. If that right there wasn't a display of force, he honestly didn't know what was.

 

          "What I _meant_ to say - though it should be rather obvious -...," the agent continued, apparently knowing exactly what Hakyeon was thinking, "...is that I won't use any force as long as you comply with our wishes."

 

          "What kind of...wishes...?" Hakyeon asked, his voice rather hoarse from having just woken up and from nerves - though he suspected the latter to be responsible for the most part.

 

          "First of all, we just want you to quietly come with us," the agent said.

 

          "Where to?" Hakyeon asked; though he was nervous and afraid that the agents might just end up treating him the same way as his roommate simply for asking too many questions and annoying them enough, he wasn't going to back down without at least getting some kind of information before being hauled off to God knows where.

 

Seeming to have understood Hakyeon's intention and that he wouldn't give in easily, the agent finally stopped advancing and took a deep breath before explaining.

 

          "We're going to take you to the main dining area where you will have dinner and get to know the others," he said, making Hakyeon apprehensive and curious at the same time.

 

Apprehensive because he wasn't sure what would happen if he refused to eat - because, what if the food was poisoned?- and curious because the agent had spoken about others, perhaps meaning that he and his very ill-tempered and aggressive roommate weren't the only ones to have been abducted; though, of course, the term 'others' might also refer to other agents they hadn't seen yet.

 

Before he could really ponder about it further or even think about whether or not to comply with the agent's wishes or to try and fight him, Hakyeon already found himself being grabbed around the arm - though not in a rough way - and pulled to his feet. Already knowing that he had less than zero chance to fight even against only one of the agents present, Hakyeon let the man walk him from the room and toward their destination, his roommate and the other two agents right on their heels (he could hear them struggling to manage him all the way down the stairs and into the large and very impressive dining room).

 

Hakyeon didn't know where to look first, at the black metal sconces with brightly lit torches that adorned the high, brick-lined walls all around the room (giving the place a medieval feel), the huge fireplace at the center of one of the walls, the massive, wooden table that looked like it could have seated several households at once, or the four other young men sitting at said table, who looked as though they might also have been abducted.

 

Hakyeon's instincts decided for him, his gaze immediately sweeping over the four people seated at the large table, looking just as lost and insecure as Hakyeon felt. But unlike his roommate, who was just being forced down onto a chair and tightly strapped to it by two of the agents, none of the other four were wearing any shackles and, moreover, didn't appear as though they were about to attempt to make a run for it - though none of them looked like they wanted to be there either.

 

Before Hakyeon could observe the four young men any closer, the agent 'escorting' him pulled him over to one of the chairs - the one right beside his no longer struggling roommate, whose attention seemed to have instantly been redirected to the many dishes of delicious looking food spread across the table in front of them - and gently pushed him down onto it.

 

          _Hmm, gets distracted by food to the point that he even forgets to continue fighting for his freedom,_ Hakyeon thought, amazed and almost amused by such a surprising turn of events, storing the information away for later use...for when he might need to resort to drastic measures such as distracting his sometimes aggressive roommate with food (which, admittedly, would be a really unfair tactic).

 

          "Now that you're all here...," a powerful voice with a dark timbre and authoritative tone suddenly spoke from the very end of the long table, "...let's begin with some formal introductions."

 

Hakyeon's head, as well as everyone else's (except his roommate's, who seemed so focused on the food in front of him that it was hard to tell if he'd even heard the voice), immediately turned in the direction of the man who'd spoken.

 

As the man approached the six of them from the far end of the room, his strides slow yet sleek, powerful, graceful, and effortless at the same time - like those of a black panther creeping up on its prey - Hakyeon could actually feel his jaw drop. The man whose entire appearance practically screamed 'lord of the manor' and 'a fierce force to be reckoned with' was an extraordinary sight to behold.

 

Though he might have looked like any other well built, middle-aged man from a distance, once he came closer, it was impossible to miss the unique, extraordinary, and utterly foreign components that adorned his face. Several long and thin lines environed the areas around his chin, forehead, and eyes, already giving off a harsh, alien feel. But the strangest thing about him by far were the two small, metallic implants covering both of his temples as well as the inhuman appearance of his eyes: intense black pupils surrounded by clear, light blue, and creepy looking irises with black components, which upon looking even closer seemed to be mechanical rather than biological in nature.

 

For lack of a better way to describe or even understand what exactly he was seeing, the only description Hakyeon could come up with was that the man, although clearly human, seemed emotionless and robotic in his mannerisms. Which, in his opinion, suddenly made their situation a hundred times worse.

 

Because how on earth were they supposed to put up a fight against someone who seemed to have no emotions. He'd already known that, physically, they had zero chance to go up against any of the men holding them captive. The agents were, after all, extremely muscular and well-trained. But in some remote corner of his mind, he suddenly comprehended, he must have still retained hope that he could talk to the one responsible, perhaps make that person feel sympathetic towards them and ultimately let him and the others go.

 

          Now he realized that last shred of hope had just gone up in smoke...  

 


	8. Sire

Hakyeon couldn't do anything but stare openmouthed at the tall and burly man now standing only a few feet away, his commanding presence overshadowing everyone else in the room. From the corner of his eye, he could see his roommate finally direct his attention to the man as well - in the end, he seemed just as unable to ignore him as the rest of them, even with food directly in front of him.

 

          "Why don't we start by introducing all of you to each other first, youngest to oldest...," the man spoke while gesturing at each of them in turn, "...this is Han Sanghyuk, 18 years old...Lee Hongbin, 20...Kim Wonsik, same age...Lee Jaehwan, 21 years old..."

 

Though he almost didn't dare to take his eyes off of the dangerous looking man, Hakyeon couldn't help but sneak glances at the others as they were being introduced one by one. The youngest _did_ look very young and innocent indeed, though he already seemed in the process of turning into an adult, his features just starting to take on a sharper, manlier appearance. When his gaze swept over the second youngest, Hakyeon was taken aback for a moment - he couldn't remember ever having seen anyone quite as handsome before. The next person in line was surprisingly charismatic. And when the one following him was introduced, Hakyeon couldn't help but notice that person's exceptionally large nose - though it by no means detracted from his good looks - as well as his natural cuteness. 

 

All in all, Hakyeon had to admit, the four of them seemed like good and nice people, the kind of people Hakyeon would have liked to hang out with under different circumstances.

 

          "...Jung Taekwoon, 23 years old...," Hakyeon heard the next in line - who was of the same age as him - being introduced...the one who was sitting right next to him...the one who was very aggressive, intimidating, antisocial, rude, cold, cool, and chic...who had soft skin, intense and beautiful eyes, inviting lips...the one who'd made his heart pound...

 

          _Jung Taekwoon...Taekwoon...,_ Hakyeon silently repeated the name he finally knew, though at the same time asking himself why it had been so important to find out...and why his heart was suddenly once again pounding wildly at the mere thought and repetition of his name.

 

Hakyeon quickly gave himself a mental shake, successfully stopping the very dangerous track his thoughts had started to take. Because, what the _fuck_ had he even been thinking about?! He must be going insane. At least, he very much felt like he was!

 

Finally snapping out of it, Hakyeon managed to direct his attention back to the man who'd just finished the introduction by mentioning Hakyeon's full name and age but had yet to tell them who the hell _he_ actually was.

 

          "And _you_ are?" Hakyeon heard his own voice challenge their 'host' before he even knew what he was doing...or how he was even bold enough to speak up like that and demand an answer from such an intimidating man.

 

Their inhuman seeming host immediately focused his eyes on Hakyeon, the icy blue irises expanding and contracting very much like the lens of a camera when zooming in and out in order to focus on a selected object. Hakyeon got the distinct impression that _that_ was exactly what his mechanical looking eyes were doing, goosebumps suddenly erupting all over his body at the thought of being so closely scrutinized by such a frightening person. He probably should have just kept his mouth shut. On second thought, though, he realized he absolutely refused to.

 

          He refused to keep from asking questions, no matter how much he ended up aggravating this man...and no matter how intimidated he _actually_ felt. Because if nobody else was going to confront him, then he had no other choice - as the oldest among them, he had to speak on their behalves.

 

          "I see you've already elected yourself as the group's leader...," the man finally said after looking at Hakyeon longer than necessary, making the latter feel more nervous with each passing second, "...I have to hand it to you, you've got balls."

 

Hakyeon's mind simply skipped the part about him 'having balls' - not even dwelling on the absurdity or surrealism of this inhuman looking being actually using such a term - his thoughts only focused on the part about him having elected himself as the group's leader. Though he initially hadn't even entertained such notions, he suddenly realized that he would be willing to be just _that_...that no matter how strange it was, he had somehow already started to feel a sense of responsibility towards the younger men who shared his plight. His family had taught him, after all, that one always had to respect one's elders and look out for and take care of people younger than oneself.

 

          "Yes, I'm their leader...," Hakyeon finally said in the firmest and most confident tone he could manage, wanting there to be absolutely no question about where he stood as the eldest among them, even though he hadn't even asked his dongsaengs' opinions.

 

Hakyeon could practically feel every single pair of eyes turn and stare at him in disbelief at his cockiness. He didn't care; nothing would stop him from stepping up and taking care of them, just like his mother would have wanted him to do.

 

          "Is that so?" the tall stranger said, his eyes boring into Hakyeon's for a long moment before he continued, "...I see...Alright...Leader it _is_...Then you may ask questions on their behalf...So, what do you want to..."

 

          "And _you_ are?" Hakyeon simply repeated his earlier question, interrupting the other rather rudely; though he knew he shouldn't provoke him, he seemed unable to stop himself.

 

Luckily, the man didn't seem the type to get angry - perhaps he was just as inhuman as he seemed and actually lacked the ability to have emotional responses. In any case, his demeanor remained unchanged as he finally answered Hakyeon's question.

 

          "How _thoughtful_ of you to ask again...," the man nonetheless responded facetiously, "...Then let me introduce myself. I am the founder and head of this organization and the initiator of the 'Shadow' program, which the six of you will now become a part of. You may call me Sire."

 

          "'Sire'? Don't you have a proper name?" Hakyeon once again blurted out; he supposed he wasn't going to get better at tact any time soon.

 

          "I used to...," the man replied, completely unperturbed, "...but that was _before._  After the change, I found I have no need for a 'human' name. So, it will be enough for you to simply call me 'Sire'."

 

Hakyeon quickly stole glances at the others, gauging their reaction to Sire's mysterious words. Though his statement was cryptic at best, Hakyeon's earlier observations strongly led him to believe that he must have been right in assuming the man to be more robotic than human in nature, though he wasn't really sure what the proper term for someone like him would be. Saying that he felt no need for a 'human' name after the _change,_  strongly implied that he'd done something or something had been done to him to change him into whatever he was now.

 

          "If you're not...human... _what exactly_ are you?" Hakyeon once again found himself asking a rather insensitive and highly personal question. But if this man didn't even consider himself to be human anymore, then what harm could it really do?

 

          "Cyborg," the man answered as his irises once again widened and contracted noticeably, the movement accompanied by the faintest of mechanical clicking sounds Hakyeon simply hadn't picked up on earlier; now that he was focusing properly, though, he could hear it perfectly.

 

           _Cyborg...cyborg...cyborg...cy...borg..._ the alienating and frightening word echoed in Hakyeon's mind. If Sire was the founder of 'whatever-the-fuck-this-messed-up-shit-they'd-been-pulled-into-turned-out-to-be', then what would happen to them in the process of being integrated into this program?

 

A sudden image of the six of them with inhuman, mechanical eyes and the same kind of strange lines covering their faces made Hakyeon shiver and wrap his arms tightly around his upper body.

 

What if the six of them were going to end up just like this cold, lifeless, machine-like man for whom emotions and humanity were but a mere distant memory?

 


	9. Power

Hakyeon's thoughts were all over the place and he needed a moment to realize that the man had started to speak again, catching his words just in time to hear him say that he and his men would leave the six of them alone to have dinner and get to know one another, but that several agents were positioned right outside the dining room door and they should think twice about trying to escape. 

 

Before leaving, he picked up a set of chopsticks, randomly sampled the food, and washed it down with a glass of water from the large jug that sat on the table - seemingly guessing what at least some of them must be thinking and feeling the need to show them that the food and drinks weren't poisoned.

 

When he finally turned around and left, Hakyeon's and everyone else's eyes were glued to the cyborg's back all the way to the large doors that separated the dining room from the rest of the mansion. Only after they had closed again behind him and his agents, Hakyeon was able to breathe comfortably again. He hadn't even realized just how tense he'd felt and that he'd actually started to hold his breath until the tension finally disappeared along with the intimidating men.

 

The intense silence in the large room was suddenly interrupted as all six of them unitedly let out audible, shaky breaths of relief. The man's presence had indeed been enough to make them feel as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. And while Hakyeon was both surprised and disappointed that he still hadn't explained in detail about the program or their future involvement in it, he was at the same time relieved that he'd finally left.

 

          "Well...," Hakyeon started, hesitating slightly after a long and uncomfortable moment of feeling everyone else's eyes on _him_  now that their host had left; contrary to how confidently he'd announced his intention of being their leader before, he did feel a bit awkward after his somewhat cocky announcement when facing the five people who were basically complete strangers to him and vice versa, "...it's nice...to meet you all."

 

When the silence only continued - the others seeming to feel just as awkward - Hakyeon directed his attention to the various dishes of food spread out on the table, needing something to distract himself with because he could already feel his cheeks growing hot from embarrassment.

 

          "Seriously?" a much deeper voice than Hakyeon had expected suddenly drifted toward him after he picked up a set of chopsticks and started to lift stir-fried noodles and vegetables off of one of the plates, just about to bring them to his mouth, "You're not really going to eat that, right?!"

 

Hakyeon's eyes focused on the one who'd spoken - he believed his name was Wonsik - who, along with Jaehwan, Hongbin, and Hyuk, was sitting directly across from him and Taekwoon. Holding his gaze, Hakyeon slowly shoveled the food into his mouth and started chewing, earning himself a roll of the eyes from Wonsik, a judgemental look from Hongbin, and several gasps, one of which seemed to have come from right beside him.

 

Turning his attention to Taekwoon, and fully expecting him to give him the same kind of shocked or judgemental look, Hakyeon was stunned to see the _actual_ expression on his face. Instead of appearing shocked that Hakyeon had touched what could possibly be poisoned food, he rather seemed scandalized that Hakyeon had eaten while _he_  was unable to because his arms and upper body were still tied to the chair.

 

When Hakyeon simply calmly met and held his gaze without saying a word, Taekwoon's frustration only grew, his eyes repeatedly threatening him and signaling for Hakyeon to hurry up and untie him now that their host was gone. At _this_ point - when Taekwoon was still only communicating with his eyes even in this seemingly desperate situation instead of talking with him or cursing at him, Hakyeon really had to ask himself if the guy perhaps was mute after all. He didn't think he'd heard any sound come out of his mouth other than the gasp he'd just heard.

 

          Suddenly, Hakyeon really wanted to find out.

 

Though he knew exactly what Taekwoon wanted, he didn't react in any way, purposefully playing dumb to see whether or not his roommate would become so annoyed with him that he'd finally open his mouth. But even if he did and asked him to untie him, Hakyeon wasn't even thinking about helping him out - that would be a disaster just waiting to happen. 

 

He was all for finding a way to escape - he didn't want to be there any more than Taekwoon or the others. But their escape would have to be carefully planned and even more carefully executed if they didn't want to end up losing their lives. And from what he could tell from his few interactions with his roommate, Taekwoon was not the 'careful-approach' kind of guy but the 'head-through-the-wall-and-escape-at-any-cost-no-matter-the-body-count' type.

 

When Taekwoon's eyes started narrowing more and more - his frustration evidently growing - and he still hadn't said a single word, Hakyeon decided to give him a final incentive...something so tempting he knew the other couldn't refuse. If he didn't open his mouth after Hakyeon's suggestion, he really _was_ mute.

 

          "You know...I can't untie you...because you'll end up getting all of us in trouble...," Hakyeon said, speaking calmly and in a gentle tone, halting for a moment when he noticed Taekwoon's expression visibly darken further, "...but I can help you in another way."

 

Hakyeon waited until he could tell he'd gotten Taekwoon's full attention.

 

          "I'll gladly help you eat...you won't have to go hungry...all you have to do is say the word."

 

          "You're going to feed him?" Hongbin interjected incredulously from across the table, visibly shuddering at the very thought.

 

          "Why?" Jaehwan quietly commented, "It's not a bad idea...how else is he going to be able to eat?"

 

          "Still, isn't feeding him a bit too much? He's not his mother," Wonsik piped up.

 

          "I agree...," Hyuk, who'd been the quietest in the group apart from Taekwoon, wholeheartedly added, "...this is just too weird. Let that cyborg-thingy or one of the agents take care of him."

 

          "I can't do that...," Hakyeon replied firmly, " _I_ have to take care of him myself...didn't I just say that I'm your leader?"

 

          "Yeah, without even asking our opinion," Wonsik shot at him, his gaze, as well as that of the others sitting across from Hakyeon, accusing.

 

          "Would any of you have stepped up to be the leader, then?" Hakyeon asked; though he was already sure he knew what their answer was going to be.

 

          "And that's _exactly_ why I did it," Hakyeon said when nobody gave him a reply, "Because _someone_ had to."

 

He wanted to add that a day may come when they'd all feel relieved that the crushing responsibility for the six of them was resting on _his_ shoulders and not their own...that they might one day be grateful for all the hard decisions and sacrifices he'd made for them. Instead, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself, knowing it wasn't the time...knowing he couldn't actually boast about deeds he hadn't done yet.

 

          But he knew he would. 

 

If they gave him only half a chance to take care of them, he swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to make sure they stayed safe...and ultimately escaped this terrible place together in one piece when the right time came.

 

Hakyeon wasn't sure what it was - perhaps his favorable thoughts and feelings had been written on his face as he'd been in deep contemplation. For whatever reason, he could suddenly see a change in Taekwoon's stance, his upper body finally relaxing against his restraints and his gaze visibly softening as he looked at him and finally nodded.

 

         "There's something I need to ask you...," Hakyeon finally tried his luck with openly asking Taekwoon instead of trying to trick it out of him; with any luck, he'd finally get any kind of answer this time around instead of just more silence, "...and don't take this as an offense...I'm genuinely asking you because I honestly can't tell...are you really mute?"

 

         "I think he is...," Hyuk immediately whispered, not even looking at Taekwoon, seemingly feeling intimidated by him, "...two days ago the five of us were brought here together in one car...and I haven't heard him speak a single word...even when the agents threatened him to get an answer."

 

Hakyeon turned his attention back to Taekwoon, waiting for the only one who really knew the answer to finally clear things up.

 

          "Are you mute?" he repeated the question.

 

Still remaining silent, Taekwoon merely shook his head in denial.

 

          "Okay. So, do you want me to feed you or would you rather go hungry?"

 

Instead of answering, Taekwoon once again remained silent.

 

          "Do you want me to help you eat?" Hakyeon repeated the question.

 

Taekwoon simply nodded in reply.

 

          "That's not good enough for me...," Hakyeon answered in a gentle but resolute voice, "...Since I now know that you can talk, I'm afraid I'll have to insist that you finally use words to communicate with me."

 

When Taekwoon still hadn't opened his mouth and it was more than clear that he was struggling terribly with something as simple as talking...as communicating with another person...Hakyeon used the ultimate weapon.

 

          "Hmmm...dis ish really good...," Hakyeon spoke with his mouth stuffed full of tasty sweet and sour chicken after having been extra careful to make a small detour and swing the food past Taekwoon's nose as close as he could on its way to his own mouth.

 

He could practically see the other's nostrils widen to take in more of the inviting aroma. By the time Taekwoon had licked his lips more than once, Hakyeon sensed that he was finally close to getting what he wanted. 

 

          "Just say that you want it...and it's yours..." Hakyeon said after carefully selecting the juiciest piece of chicken he could find and dangling it just out of reach in front of him, "...And I promise I'll only make you say it once."

 

After what seemed like a small internal war, Taekwoon finally lost the fight against his inner glutton - which Hakyeon had already known would happen.

 

         "I...want it," the softest, quietest voice, which Hakyeon would never have expected to hear coming from such a muscular and masculine person, interrupted the expectant silence, his shy, fragile voice immediately pulling at Hakyeon's heartstrings.

 

          "Wow...what a voice...," Hyuk whispered underneath his breath before immediately imitating the soft way he'd spoken, which was rewarded with a 'shhh' and a light punch in the guts by Wonsik's elbow as well as a warning glare from both Taekwoon and Hakyeon - making Hyuk slide down lower in his chair and keep quiet.

 

Hakyeon waited until everyone had settled down again and then sent them pointed looks until they all started piling their own food on their plates. When he was satisfied that they were immersed in their food and no longer focused on the two of them, Hakyeon finally brought the dangling piece of chicken up to Taekwoon's mouth.

 

Instead of immediately attacking the fragrant piece of food - which Hakyeon had expected him to do - Taekwoon hesitated, his eyes meeting Hakyeon's briefly before quickly looking away again. Hakyeon suddenly found himself mesmerized by the sudden shyness his roommate was letting him get a glimpse of - though he was sure it wasn't intentional. It was a side of him he hadn't seen before...a side he deliberately hid from others.

 

But in this more than volnurable moment - when Hakyeon was doing something that felt even more intimate than he would have guessed - Taekwoon seemed to feel too raw to hide behind his usual cold mask and hostile glare. Hakyeon quickly looked away when Taekwoon finally leaned slightly forward and shyly took the offered bite. While focusing way more than necessary on capturing another bite of food between chopsticks with suddenly sweaty and clumsy fingers, Hakyeon tried to ignore the abruptly fast beating of his heart and simply go through the motions without even looking at his roommate.

 

But when a small, almost indiscernible sigh of frustration caught his attention and he realized he'd been holding the next bite too far away for Taekwoon to reach, Hakyeon had no choice but to look at him in order to feed him properly. And so Hakyeon's slow rounds of torture started...

 

...his eyes repeatedly following Taekwoon's slow, sensual movements against his will as his soft lips parted enough to show a hint of pearly white teeth before leisurely wrapping around the piece of meat and gently tugging on it...

...his stomach tightening when Taekwoon's bubblegum-pink tongue leisurely slid across his lower lip after each bite as if in slow motion...

...his body finally starting to shiver when Taekwoon deliberately and provocatively fixed him with his intensest gaze while once again sensually licking his lips...

 

          That's when Hakyeon realized.

 

In the space of a heartbeat, the tables had turned. The small glimpse of the real Taekwoon Hakyeon had been able to catch after forcing him to submit and speak did not come without a price. Somewhere along the intimate act of feeding his roommate, Taekwoon must have in turn caught a glimpse of Hakyeon's weakness, which he hadn't been able to hide - at all. And Hakyeon's weakness undoubtedly was Taekwoon...the unexpected way this strange, aggressive, unfriendly...but then suddenly shy and adorable...man made him feel.

 

Hakyeon had been too caught off guard to even attempt to hide his reactions to the other...and the way Taekwoon had suddenly done a 180 and was basically deliberately playing with him now...seducing him...with no trace of the shyness Hakyeon had seen earlier...could mean only one thing.

 

Taekwoon, who suddenly seemed to have become very aware of the power he had over Hakyeon - over the one who'd proclaimed himself their leader, who'd humiliated him by dangling food in front of him, who'd basically forced him to speak by blackmailing him with sweet and sour chicken - was clearly intent on getting payback.

 

Hakyeon quickly set down the chopsticks with trembling hands and turned away from his roommate, his heartbeat speeding up yet again at the thought of what would happen once he found himself back in the room...alone with an unshackled Taekwoon.

 

And he couldn't help but wonder which one of them would ultimately come out on top following a severe power struggle when none of them was willing to back down or even give an inch...

 


	10. Fighting Back

Hakyeon was feeling more and more apprehensive the closer he, Taekwoon, and the men accompanying them got to their room at the topmost floor of the mansion. They'd just parted ways with the agents escorting the other four back to their room - it turned out the others were sharing a slightly larger turret room at the opposite end of the floor just down the hallway.

 

When they finally arrived at their room and the men accompanying them unlocked and opened the door, Hakyeon's nervousness reached its peak. Taekwoon - still shackled and held in check by two strong agents right in front of him - kept turning his head around to throw him intense glares, making Hakyeon feel even more worried to be left alone with him again.

 

          "We'll leave it to _you_ to untie his rope, then," one of the agents said to Hakyeon after quickly shoving both of them through the open door and into their room; it seemed they'd grown even warier of Taekwoon and his constant desire to overwhelm them every chance he got and wanted to let Hakyeon untie him after they'd already left the room and locked the door.

 

Only...Hakyeon wasn't even thinking of complying with their wishes. The fact that they'd left Taekwoon tied up and unable to get back at him and vent all of the frustration on him that had built up during dinner, suited Hakyeon perfectly.

 

Taekwoon already seemed to know exactly what Hakyeon was thinking and immediately started to corner him, walking him right back up to the wall just as he had before not too long ago. The difference was: _this_ time Hakyeon clearly had the advantage. Because, honestly, what the hell did he even think he would be able to do to him with his hands tied behind his back?

 

Hakyeon should have known better than to underestimate Taekwoon. Because the answer was: he could do a fucking hell of a lot!

 

But before Hakyeon became aware of any of this, he was simply standing with his back against the wall, wearing an incredibly cocky look and a huge, self-satisfied grin on his face, thinking it would be easy peasy to just dodge him at any given moment and that the other would simply give up, seeing as he must be aware of just how useless it would be to try and intimidate Hakyeon without the use of his hands.

 

          "Listen...," Hakyeon calmly stated, "...I swear I'll untie you _later_...You know, when you've had time to calm down properly and...put everything into perspective."

 

Taekwoon simply shook his head in one slow, deliberate movement, his lips tightly pressed together as he did so - and Hakyeon abruptly found himself distracted by the adorable way in which the middle part of his upper lip stuck out...instilling a sudden, intense desire in him to lean forward and capture it between his teeth.

 

Even before he could force himself to look away again, Taekwoon's lips had already pulled into an extremely self-satisfied smirk. It was more than apparent that he'd just caught how Hakyeon's gaze had lingered on his lips. Feeling it would be better at this point to just ignore him completely - and feeling the desperate need to get as far away from him as possible before he ended up doing something completely crazy - Hakyeon tried to sidestep him and put a safe distance between them.

 

But Taekwoon - even without the use of his hands - ended up being more than Hakyeon could handle. Whereas he normally probably would have grabbed him by the shoulders to hold him in place, Taekwoon simply compensated for the inability to use his arms by swiftly pushing him up against the wall and pinning him there with the sheer force of his much heavier body, practically crushing Hakyeon against the wall.

 

          Which meant: there was absolutely no space left between Hakyeon and the incredibly muscular body pushing right up against him. 

 

Hakyeon could feel the hard planes of Taekwoon's abs, the firm muscles of his thighs, and - what turned out to be a hundred times worse - Taekwoon's well-endowed crotch pushing up against him...and it was doing things to him he didn't even want to think about, his body reacting completely of its own accord.

 

          "You want me," Taekwoon whispered into his ear, his incredibly soft and breathy voice delivered in a tone so low and seductive that it immediately made Hakyeon shiver; how the hell was it possible, he wondered, that his roommate could have so many different and shocking sides to him?

 

From being aggressive to almost caring and gentle (when he'd cupped his cheek as he'd hovered above him with a washcloth in his hand)...from condescending and intimidating to insecure, shy, and adorable, only to go back to being intimidating...and suddenly turning confident and irresistibly seductive at the flip of a switch.

 

Hakyeon was so far out of his depth with the many changes he'd seen in him, it was ridiculous; he had no way of pegging him at all. Which was just as fascinating as it was terrifying, especially when he found himself pinned against the wall by someone who seemed unstable and suddenly aware of just how much power he had over him...someone who seemed to know that he had Hakyeon by the short hairs.

 

          "You're being ridiculous," Hakyeon quickly denied the attraction he felt with words that directly contradicted the current state of his body.

 

To say he was excited was an understatement, the word simply too inadequate to describe how painfully and severely his now fully erect and incredibly hard member was straining against his much too tight pants - Taekwoon's extreme proximity fucking him up badly.

 

          "Is that so?" Taekwoon called him out on his lie, proving his point by abruptly grinding his pelvis against Hakyeon's erection in a way that made the latter squirm and whimper.

 

          "Am I still being ridiculous?" Taekwoon once again whispered to him; but instead of being interested in an actual answer, he seemed more intent on making things even worse for Hakyeon, his teeth nibbling on his lobe and his tongue dipping into his ear without warning, turning him into a complete mess.

 

Suddenly, something inside Hakyeon just snapped. He didn't care anymore...he was already way past his boiling point. No longer worrying about admitting that Taekwoon was right about Hakyeon wanting him...and no longer asking himself if wanting him was right in the first place, Hakyeon finally reacted, refusing to be put to shame by Taekwoon...to be treated as though he'd simply lose all will to stand up to him because of the things he was doing to his body. 

 

Deciding on the spot to fight back and give as good as he got, Hakyeon stopped whimpering, pulled himself together, and launched his counterattack before Taekwoon even had a chance to figure out what was happening.

 

Hakyeon's hand shot to the back of Taekwoon's neck, his fingers gently tangling in the soft hair at his nape as he pulled him closer. He could only just make out the soft sound of the other's surprised gasp as his own lips hungrily crushed against Taekwoon's. Completely unfazed by Taekwoon's sudden attempts at pulling back and out of his reach, Hakyeon maintained a tight hold on his roommate's neck, resulting in Taekwoon dragging Hakyeon right along with him as he stumbled backward, tripped, and landed right on his bed...with Hakyeon on top of him.

 

Using the fleeting moment when Taekwoon was too disoriented to keep up his strong resistance - and shamelessly taking full advantage of the fact that Taekwoon's lips were slightly parted from just having had the wind knocked out of him as he'd hit the mattress - Hakyeon swooped down and kissed him again, making sure to slip him the tongue this time around to get back at him for earlier.

 

After a long moment of Taekwoon writhing helplessly underneath him while Hakyeon clung to him with everything he had and continued to invade his mouth with his tongue - refusing to be thrown off, though Taekwoon had been trying his best by continuously bucking up and tilting his body - it seemed his roommate was finally ready to give up. 

 

Hakyeon could feel Taekwoon gradually surrender beneath him, letting Hakyeon prevail and do whatever he wanted. Hakyeon only took it as an encouragement to deepen and intensify the kiss even more - to languidly explore every inch of Taekwoon's mouth, suck on his tongue and the small protruding part of his upper lip, and catch the lower one between his teeth - until he suddenly became _very_ aware of an extremely large and hard bulge straining up against his own...

 

Immediately jolted back to his senses, and abruptly all too aware of the fact that he'd let himself be completely swept away by his intense desire without even having thought about the consequences - and that he didn't even know the first thing about same-gender sex (not to mention that he'd never even made it past first base with any of his former girlfriends) - Hakyeon finally started to panic, now that the reality of the situation hit him along with the sensation of feeling Taekwoon's erection push up against him.

 

Not wanting to let on just how shaken he actually felt by everything that had just happened between them, Hakyeon tried to come off as the smug winner of their little power struggle. It was far better than letting Taekwoon know just how badly he'd already gotten to him...and how incredibly good it had felt to kiss him - so incredibly good, in fact, that it had warning bells going off in his head, making him suddenly terrified to continue. He didn't want this! He _did_...and he didn't.

 

          "So...," Hakyeon said, doing his very best to appear completely unaffected by what they'd just done while giving Taekwoon's erection a derisive pat with his hand for good measure, "...who wants _whom_ , now?"

 

And without another word or glance in Taekwoon's direction, Hakyeon haughtily climbed off of him, walked over to his own bed on wobbly legs, and threw himself facedown onto his mattress with his face turned against the wall and away from Taekwoon.

 

          "I'll untie you after catching some sleep," Hakyeon said in a calm and indifferent sounding tone while secretly doing everything in his power just to try and catch his breath again and get his frantically beating heart - and a different part of his body - under control again.

 

He'd never imagined someone would ever make him feel this way - as if the ground had been swept away right under his feet, leaving him no choice but to fall. But the deeper he fell into whatever it was that was happening between them, the more he knew he would start to panic. Because he still wasn't sure if the desire he felt was something he actually _wanted_ and would be able to control, or if it would end up taking complete control over him instead.      

 


	11. Memory

Taekwoon didn't follow Hakyeon's movements as the other walked over to his bed and plunked himself down, his gaze instead glued to the ceiling above his head as he tried to catch his breath. He could feel the painful throbbing between his legs as acutely as the butterflies in his stomach and the wild drumming of his heart.

 

          How the hell, Taekwoon wondered, had it come to this?!

 

Yes, he had a habit of hiding his true self behind an impenetrable wall. And because of this, he'd never really gotten close to anyone emotionally. That didn't mean he was a virgin, though. So, although he hadn't allowed himself to form attachments or genuine emotions, he'd had girlfriends before...girlfriends who'd simply dated him because he was chic and popular, who hadn't minded one bit that he didn't invest any feelings.

 

And because he'd been a perfectly normal (at least physically) teenager whose hormones had been just as out of control as everyone else's at that age, Taekwoon had ended up having sex on more than one occasion with two of his ex-girlfriends even though he was normally really shy - but his extreme shyness only surfaced when he actually liked someone.

 

So, the problem wasn't that he was too innocent to comprehend his body's reaction to what Hakyeon had just done to him. The problem was: it had reacted to another male and someone he didn't even like. And it had caught him completely off guard!

 

At first, after Hakyeon had refused to untie him and had used his weakness to humiliate and feed him in front of everyone else as if he were a little baby, Taekwoon had vowed to teach him a lesson once they were alone again. And at one point, Taekwoon had been certain of having the upper hand. After having caught on to the fact earlier that the other seemed attracted to him, he'd felt very sure of himself. And although _he_ hadn't felt the least bit attracted to Hakyeon, he'd wanted to play with his feelings and torture him just enough to get back at him.

 

          It had only been fair!

 

What hadn't been fair - at all! - was for his roommate to suddenly attack _him_ instead. Because Taekwoon simply hadn't been prepared!

 

He hadn't been prepared for the other's intensity and passion...hadn't been prepared for his strength and tenacity...for the incomprehensible and indescribable feelings of security, comfort, and belonging that had suddenly come over him the moment he'd surrendered and felt Hakyeon's slow, unhurried, and incredibly deep kiss...making him drown in the sensation of wanting more...and more...until his body had finally reacted and drawn level with his mind.

 

          Yes, he admitted grudgingly, he wanted him.

                           

Wanted the guy who'd embarrassed him, blackmailed him, kept him tied up even in their room, had just attacked him physically as well as mentally, and had behaved like a real jerk right afterward, pretending as though it had been less than nothing when everything about what they'd just done was leaving Taekwoon reeling...and hurting, for some reason.

 

He couldn't really explain it - and he would outright deny these feelings if asked - but it was actually the first time Taekwoon had ever felt this comforted by someone's touch. For, although his mother's warm embrace had always been soothing and loving, what he'd felt just now had gone even beyond that in a way he couldn't explain, much less grasp.

 

           And it was seriously messing with his head!

 

The only thing he knew for sure was, now that that feeling of comfort and warmth had abruptly been taken from him again, Taekwoon was left behind feeling cold, empty, and alone. And while he'd always preferred to be left alone by other people, this was the _one_ time when it really hit him hard.

 

Taekwoon quietly rolled onto his side and pulled his knees up to his chin into a fetal position, needing all the comfort he could give himself in order to stop shaking. Not even caring any longer that his hands were still tied together with a rope, Taekwoon closed his eyes and tried to get some rest. And though there were way too many thoughts crowding his mind, he finally managed to doze off...

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

On the other side of the room, Hakyeon had at long last fallen asleep as well...

 

_"Come here, my little munchkin," Hakyeon's grandmother lovingly called him over to where she was lounging in his family's comfortable recliner; even though he was asleep, Hakyeon's consciousness recognized the fact that he wasn't caught up in a dream, but rather a memory...a long forgotten one._

 

 _Though Hakyeon was always thrilled whenever his grandmother paid them a visit, he couldn't really show his excitement just then. Firstly, she'd just used the moniker Hakyeon hated the most - in_ his _opinion being called a 'munchkin' at seven years old when it was obvious that he wasn't a little kid anymore! - was just plain rude. And secondly, he'd just been torn from his sleep by the most terrible nightmare he'd ever had._

 

_Getting over the detested nickname rather quickly - even then, he hadn't been one to hold grudges - Hakyeon made his way over to his grandmother and hastily climbed onto her lap._

 

_"Now, my love, why don't you tell me what's wrong? I can tell that you're shaking," his grandmother said while gently lifting the edge of her blanket and wrapping it around Hakyeon and herself, making the frightened little bunny that he actually was at that moment finally calm down a bit._

 

_"I...had a...bad...," Hakyeon started but abruptly found himself unable to finish the sentence; something about what he'd been about to say was simply wrong._

 

 _Though he couldn't really explain it, the more he thought about it, the less it actually seemed like a bad dream. It had been bad, no question about_ that _. But it hadn't really seemed like a_ dream _at all._

 

_"You had a bad dream?" his grandmother simply asked in return, apparently thinking nothing much of the fact that Hakyeon had suddenly failed to finish his sentence._

 

_Hakyeon remained silent for a long moment, then simply shook his head. It took his grandmother several moments to catch on. When she did, however, her afore curious expression suddenly turned into a knowing and rather serious one._

 

_"It wasn't a dream?" his grandmother replied gently, "...then, can you tell me what you saw?"_

 

_"I...I don't really know...," Hakyeon answered in a small voice, feeling insecure about not having a proper explanation to offer and not knowing how to put the awful feelings and images into words in the first place._

 

_"Well...," his grandmother gently tried to coax the answers out of him, closing her eyes as she suddenly placed one of his small, soft hands between her larger, calloused and wrinkled ones, "...can you just tell me how you felt? Close your eyes...and simply think back to what you saw...remember what you felt."_

 

_Though he didn't really feel like revisiting those horrific scenes and emotions, Hakyeon did as his grandmother asked and closed his eyes, knowing that she was trying her best to help him._

 

_"It felt...dark...cold...I was...afraid...," Hakyeon said, the corresponding images to the words he'd just spoken flashing before his mind's eye; as if she'd actually seen what he'd seen, his grandmother suddenly started trembling, "...and I felt...chased...like there...like there was a...m-monster..."_

 

_Hakyeon had to stop talking, the images behind his closed eyelids too vivid and shocking to even put into words how exactly they made him feel. Hakyeon quickly opened his eyes, intent on stopping to recall the nightmare that wasn't really a nightmare. But when his gaze focused on his grandmother's face, he might as well have still been caught up in the experience, reliving it by watching the expression of horror and fear etched on every line of his grandmother's face. It was as if she was seeing the images and feeling the emotions from Hakyeon's 'dream' (for want of a better word)._

 

_After a long moment, his grandmother finally opened her eyes again, and a somewhat calm expression found its way back onto her face, though Hakyeon thought she looked far from relaxed and was simply trying to pretend as if she was._

 

_"Listen to me, little one...," she started and smiled briefly at the pout on Hakyeon's face that had formed right after hearing the 'little one' part of her speech, "...Hakyeon-ah...it's very important that you remember my words...because, at that time, I won't be there to help you...and don't worry about how I know this...just, please, remember my words."_

 

Hakyeon's eyes suddenly flew open and his body jolted upright in bed, his grandmother's words from so many years ago ringing so loudly and clearly in his ears as though she'd only just spoken to him.

 

           _"You're special, Hakyeon-ah...as special as your grandmother is...you and I can...see things...And what we see - which is oftentimes in our sleep - is neither a dream nor a memory...but a possibility...a possible future that hasn't arrived yet. And though this...gift...comes and goes...and we can't really control it as we might wish...it's important for you to know that what you see is most likely going to come true...Sometimes we might be able to change the future...but most of the times we can't...because it's extremely difficult. So remember these words and be brave when that time comes...At least, from what I can see, you won't be alone...and you will even find a soulmate with whom you already seem to share a deep connection. Just remember, little one, that I love you and that you can get through it...if you fight with everything you have."_

 

Hakyeon's eyes roamed across the room as he tried to catch his breath and make sense of his grandmother's words, which he'd completely forgotten about over the years - like a carefully stored, hidden memory whose recollection had just been triggered by something - when his gaze abruptly fell on a rather large and shivering heap on the bed across from his; Taekwoon's body was trembling badly, as if he was in the throes of a terrible nightmare.

 

Hakyeon immediately got up and carefully approached his roommate, who had his back turned to him and was emitting desperate, terrified sounding yelps in his sleep while writhing around on his side. More than once, Hakyeon could hear him muttering underneath his breath and was just able to make out the short series of words 'tanned hands...those hands'. When Taekwoon still hadn't escaped his nightmare even after Hakyeon had turned him around to face him and gently started to shake him, Hakyeon finally gave up trying to wake him. After crawling up on the bed and lying down next to him, he finally untied his hands and simply pulled his body into his embrace, offering him a warm chest as comfort while he slept.

 

If truth be told, however, Taekwoon wasn't the only one receiving comfort. Hakyeon, in just as much need of being comforted, felt oddly soothed and at peace while holding his roommate in his arms. 

 

Completely forgetting what had happened between them earlier, and not even thinking about Taekwoon as someone he felt attracted to, but simply basking in the other's warmth and the feeling of safety that holding him close provided while hoping he could, in turn, comfort Taekwoon and pull him out of his nightmare, Hakyeon tightened his grasp around his roommate's shoulder and pulled him as close to him as possible...and finally fell asleep again while holding him in his arms.     

 

 


	12. Crossing Boundaries

Just on the verge of regaining consciousness - forced back to reality by the nightmare that repeatedly plagued him ever since he'd turned seven years old - Taekwoon immediately felt the change in his surroundings. Instead of feeling cold and abandoned, a comforting warmth was suddenly enveloping him, making him feel at home...and safe.

 

Abruptly remembering that he couldn't be at home...that he'd been brought to this godforsaken place where they'd locked and tied him up - a place which he wasn't going to escape any time soon - Taekwoon struggled for a moment to understand what the hell it was that was suddenly making him feel as if everything would be okay, nonetheless.

 

          And what in the _world_ was this somewhat firm, yet still acceptably soft warmth supporting his head?

 

After carefully opening his eyes, Taekwoon felt shocked. True to his usual self and the instincts he'd relied on his entire life, his first impulse was to get as far away from his roommate as possible.

 

Yet even while he felt incredulous and outraged that Hakyeon had had the audacity to climb into his bed and make Taekwoon rest on his chest as if the two of them were something they clearly were _not_ \- showing absolutely no regard for boundaries - his body still wouldn't move.

 

Though he knew he should disentangle himself from the other's embrace and just give him one powerful shove right off the bed and rejoice in Hakyeon's outcry when he hit the floor with a nice loud thud, Taekwoon was unable to move even an inch. The realization that the blissful safety and warmth enveloping him now would be lost if he acted on his initial urge, was keeping Taekwoon's head glued to Hakyeon's chest - even if he had no explanation, whatsoever, why lying in Hakyeon's arms was making him feel this way!

 

         Although everything about how he felt was completely inexplicable and utterly ludicrous, Taekwoon simply didn't want to give up the only safe haven he'd found in this hostile place.

 

Knowing it was only a matter of hours before his roommate - who was currently sleeping soundly - woke up and the spell would be broken, Taekwoon decided to take what he could get while he still could without even trying to understand why it felt so damn good.

 

Abruptly noticing that his hands were no longer tied, a surge of gratitude came over him, though he still should have felt angry at his roommate for keeping him tied up longer than necessary. Carefully, so as not to disturb the other's sleep, Taekwoon tilted his head up a bit so that he could look at Hakyeon's face while resting on his chest. But the proximity and angle of Hakyeon's head didn't really allow Taekwoon to see more of his face than his sharp jawline and the lips he'd felt on his own just a few hours ago, making Taekwoon suddenly feel oddly disappointed.

 

Knowing that enjoying the wonderful sensation of resting in Hakyeon's arms was a one time thing and would have to end after that night - because he shouldn't be feeling this way...because it was, moreover, dangerous for him to let his guard down and open up to someone who would only let him down in the end - Taekwoon closed his eyes again and nestled closer against Hakyeon's warm body while remaining vigilant not to fall asleep again, wanting to experience this feeling for as long as he could before he had to give it up for good.

 

While he at first succeeded in staying awake and almost memorizing Hakyeon's soft breathing pattern as well as the exact lines of his long neck, sharp jaw, and soft lips, Taekwoon lost the battle somewhere around dawn and finally fell fast asleep in his roommate's arms.

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Hakyeon found his hand moving of its own accord when he finally began to wake up the next morning; it seemed he'd unconsciously started combing his fingers through the incredibly soft strands of hair of the head still resting on his chest. Not fully awake yet, and not immediately realizing where he was or that it was strange in the first place to have someone else's head resting on his chest, Hakyeon simply continued to nuzzle the other's head while turning his own toward the warm body resting on his.

 

When his eyes finally opened, Hakyeon abruptly found himself fully jolted awake by the realization that he was still lying in Taekwoon's bed and was actually stroking his hair very intimately - something he knew he didn't have the slightest right to do. Feeling relieved that his no longer tied up roommate hadn't yet woken up to find Hakyeon encroaching on his personal space - though he'd only done so in order to soothe him as he'd been having a nightmare - Hakyeon immediately stopped combing through Taekwoon's hair.

 

While carefully checking his roommate's face for any signs of him waking up, Hakyeon started to pull his arm off of his shoulder, halting at once when Taekwoon suddenly showed signs of regaining consciousness and stretched once before snuggling right back against Hakyeon's side. Hakyeon patiently waited for Taekwoon to settle down again and was just about to carefully wriggle his way out from underneath Taekwoon's heavier body and sneak back to his own bed before he was caught when his roommate's eyes suddenly flew open unexpectedly and directly met and held Hakyeon's startled gaze.

 

After a split moment's hesitation - in which Hakyeon could have sworn he saw something warm and tender in Taekwoon's eyes before the latter immediately put a wall back up - Taekwoon actually pushed himself off of his chest and gave him a shove so hard that it literally knocked the wind right out of him when he hit the uncarpeted section of floor right next to Taekwoon's bed.

 

          _Oughhh...ouch..._ Hakyeon winced internally, being careful not to make any sounds and give away the fact that hitting the floor had hurt like a son-of-a-bitch!

 

Knowing he deserved every bit of pain his once again hostile roommate had given him for having completely disrespected his personal space and crossed boundaries he knew he shouldn't have, Hakyeon quickly picked himself up off the floor without a single word in Taekwoon's direction and hobbled back to his bed - one of his knees had made rather hard contact with the unforgiving, wooden floor.   

 


	13. Ready

Hakyeon was quietly sitting between the other members of their group, all five of them nervously watching Taekwoon's turn in the simulator through a large window made of shatterproof glass. It had been a few weeks now that they'd started being tested by the agent in charge of their training. A few days after having been brought there, they'd finally been briefed on the so-called 'Shadow' program which they were being trained for.

 

Even now, Hakyeon still couldn't wrap his mind around the things they'd been told. And it had nothing to do with any suspicions about being lied to. They'd been shown countless official reports and statements and had even partaken in a rather long video conference with some of the highest-ranking military officers as well as the secretary of defense. So it wasn't as if he truly believed that every one of these important figures was simply making things up and messing with them for no reason...it was just that it all seemed too inconceivable to believe, no matter how many shreds of proof he was presented with.

 

He still vividly remembered the moment they'd finally been told why they were all there. On his second day at the mansion - when he'd still been preoccupied with trying to digest everything that had happened between Taekwoon and him the night before - they'd once again been brought to the large dining room table in order to be briefed. And though Taekwoon had appeared just as loathe to comply with the agents' or their host's wishes as before, he'd seemed too preoccupied with his thoughts to put up any kind of fight that day - resulting in him actually _not_  ending up being tied to the chair.

 

And after the briefing had ended, Taekwoon hadn't seemed to feel the need to rebel anymore - nor had any of the others.

 

If what they'd been told, the reports they'd seen, and the words of everyone involved were to be trusted - even though it seemed more than surreal and incomprehensible - the six of them had been brought together...had been chosen even before having been conceived...in order to save the world from the biggest threat humanity had ever encountered.

 

          "You failed _yet again_...," the instructor's voice - transported through the tiny microphone of his headset - echoed angrily around the simulation room, tormenting an already completely strung out looking Taekwoon, who was on the ground on all fours breathing hard and trembling, "...how many times, Taekwoon-ah?...What can I do to make you understand, to make you work harder?!! WHAT THE FUCK DO I HAVE TO DO TO..."

 

          "STOP IT!" Hakyeon suddenly found himself shouting at their instructor, something he'd never done before, but something he'd abruptly felt the overwhelming need to do even though it could land him in serious trouble; their instructor was a very hard-core, very unforgiving teacher whose high rank and authority demanded the highest respect and utter obedience.

 

But here Hakyeon was, screaming at their instructor at the top of his lungs because he simply couldn't stand the way he kept yelling at Taekwoon, whose body had already crumbled to the floor of the 'torture' room from sheer fear and exhaustion. Even though their relationship had not gotten better after Taekwoon had shoved Hakyeon off of his bed...and even though Taekwoon had ignored him even more after that - to the point where Hakyeon felt he was as invisible as the air surrounding them - Hakyeon couldn't just stand there and do nothing!

 

And though he would have tried to protect each and every one of his team members equally as their leader, he wasn't at all sure he would have reacted the same way if it had concerned anyone other than his roommate. Actually, if he were being completely honest with himself, he'd have to admit that the only reason he'd jumped out of his seat and screamed at their instructor was that the one being verbally attacked had been  _Taekwoon_. Had the instructor yelled at anyone else in that manner, Hakyeon would still have stood up for them...after the simulation had ended...in a private discussion between the two of them...instead of openly challenging the man in charge and showing a colossal amount of disrespect by calling his authority into question in front of everyone present.

 

From the look on the man's face, Hakyeon already knew he was in deep shit even before the hard surface of the man's fist made excruciatingly painful contact with his lower lip and part of his jaw. But Hakyeon couldn't have cared less...either about the throbbing in the lower portion of his face...or about the fact that his lower lip seemed to have split open - fresh, warm blood slowly seeping from the wound and running down his chin.

 

He couldn't have cared less...because the only thing he really cared about at that moment was that his being hit had worked perfectly to finally detract the attention from Taekwoon and redirect it onto himself instead. After the instructor had dealt him a powerful blow, all of his aggression seemed to have vanished along with it, and he finally let Taekwoon leave the room without harassing him further...

 

Some thirty minutes later, Hakyeon found himself back in the room, lying on his bed with his eyes shut and his face hurting like hell. Nevertheless, Hakyeon was glad that the instructor had seemed perfectly happy with the single blow he'd dealt him as punishment and hadn't insisted on more or - what would have been even worse - on having a long and serious talk. It wasn't necessary to spend all that extra time together just so his instructor could point out what Hakyeon had done wrong...he already knew he'd shown disrespect and disobedience.

 

          He already knew all the reasons why he should have just kept his mouth shut. 

 

Because things simply weren't as black and white as they'd appeared before. And what might seem to be incredibly cruel treatment - making them run through simulation after simulation until their bodies crumbled and they had trouble breathing - couldn't simply be considered as such and had to be put into context.

 

Because the bottom line was: their instructor was preparing them for something far worse...

 

...A threat older than the space they inhabited, yet one humanity hadn't even known existed until a few generations ago when two of that era's leading scientists had stumbled onto a hitherto undetected lifeform that traveled across their galaxy and left devastation in its wake all across the Milky Way. Feeding off of other species' life forces - off of the energy from the emotions that drove them - this fiend in the form of no more than a wispy shadow left only emptiness behind in the hearts it touched, making its victims, in turn, do the most despicable things to their own kind.

 

And though humanity had always known wars, had long ago grown accustomed to murders of the most atrocious kind and to every other crime too gruesome to put into words, no one had ever imagined that the most common denominator for all of these acts was an evil creature so clever and elusive that it had never before been identified as the actual culprit who stole people's humanity solely by its wispy touch, causing the heartless, merciless, empty shells that had once carried emotions to wreak havoc on everyone around them.   

 

Ever since the leading scientists had informed the government about the newly detected and quickly spreading threat to their world, the Shadow program had been developed in a desperate attempt to catch and destroy the evil threat. But as generations had gone by with every single team before theirs having failed - and almost everyone in it having been annihilated - it was now up to Hakyeon's team to try and defeat the evil creature before it continued to destroy them.

 

So, for that reason, and that reason _alone_ , the six of them had been allowed to exist and grow into fine young men...so that they could _die_ at the hands of the creature like everyone before them. 

 

Yet as much as Hakyeon hated everything he'd found out about and wished to God he hadn't taken the red pill - figuratively speaking - or that he could take another one in order to forget every single moment since he'd been recruited that fateful day (except for the ones he'd shared with Taekwoon) he also knew he couldn't just run away from his destiny...couldn't just turn his back on every single human whose future was in their hands...and, more importantly, could never be so selfish as to _not_ risk his life for the very people who'd spent  _theirs_  trying to ensure his happiness and make him feel loved. 

 

Not in a million years could he even think about giving up when his parents' safety was on the line.

 

So he would take all the punches and beatings he received...would endure all the harsh treatment the instructor dished out...and would try not to let his temper get the better of him in the future. Because he knew: Without the harsh training, they wouldn't grow stronger...without getting stronger, there was no sense in fighting...and without fighting the evil trying to destroy them, they wouldn't have the slightest chance to hold on to their humanity.

 

So Hakyeon was ready. 

          Ready to give it his all. 

                    Ready to do whatever was necessary to keep everyone else safe.

                              Ready to put his own life on the line...

                                               

                                                            ...and lose...   

 


	14. Tender Care

Taekwoon's hands were shaking slightly as he held the washcloth underneath the icy cold stream of water running from their bathroom sink's faucet. After having debated over and over again whether or not to risk another episode of his roommate waking up just in time to see him hovering over him with a wet washcloth in his hand - and wondering if he'd once again just end up tossing it at him out of embarrassment if that happened - Taekwoon had finally decided not to worry about it and just do what he'd strangely felt the urge to do since the very first day he'd met Hakyeon.

 

Though it had completely been Taekwoon'sfault that Hakyeon had ended up with a bloody nose that first day, having wanted to wipe the blood off of his face and soothe his wound had had nothing to do with the fact that he'd caused it in the first place. For some inexplicable reason, and though he hadn't even wanted to admit it to himself, he'd simply suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to take care of him - which had made as little sense to him then as it did now; he just couldn't explain where that impulse was even coming from.

 

None the less, since it was something he felt he needed to do, Taekwoon soon found himself once again at Hakyeon's bedside holding a wet washcloth. But instead of awkwardly hovering above him as he slept, Taekwoon just lay down next to him this time, propped himself up on one of his elbows, and started cleaning Hakyeon's wound.

 

Feeling relieved at first because his roommate hadn't immediately woken up like he'd done the last time, Taekwoon was taken aback not long afterward when he suddenly opened his eyes after all just as Taekwoon was in the middle of carefully wiping at the dried blood on his lower lip.

 

With the rest of his body remaining still and only his eyes hesitantly moving in Taekwoon's direction, Hakyeon met his startled gaze with an insecure glance of his own. While the washcloth remained just where it had been - the side of Taekwoon's hand still resting against Hakyeon's now slightly flushed cheek - it was obvious from the look in Hakyeon's eyes that he was fully expecting Taekwoon to recover from his frozen state at any moment, toss him the cloth, and go right back to ignoring him.

 

But although Taekwoon's very first instinct, yet again, was to run away and act callously in order to hide his quickly growing embarrassment, the fact that he'd been replaying Hakyeon's voice when he'd shouted 'STOP IT!' over and over again in his mind - the voice that had stood up for him...that had reached him in one of his darkest and weakest moments - was making him stay even after his own cheeks had already started to turn pink.

 

No one - other than his parents - had ever stood up for him and tried to protect him to the point of even taking a punch in the face as a result. So, God damn it, he was going to stay put and take care of him in return even though what he really wanted to do at that very moment was to find a decently sized hole in the floor somewhere and disappear right into it.

 

Right after continuing to timidly and awkwardly dab at Hakyeon's split lip, Taekwoon quickly broke eye contact before the already pronounced flush on his cheeks intensified and his embarrassment reached an unprecedented level. He'd never before actually stuck around after starting to feel embarrassed. And the fact that, by staying, he was clearly letting Hakyeon see his real emotions along with his insecurity was making him feel more exposed than he'd ever felt in his whole life.

 

Taekwoon didn't open up to other people! He didn't show his true self to other people! It just wasn't something he did!

 

Yet here he was, throwing his principles overboard for Hakyeon, inadvertently admitting that he cared about him by tending to his wound in such a tender way that it couldn't simply be attributed to his desire to pay Hakyeon back for having tried to protect him. Things were more complicated. And deep down, Taekwoon knew that the gratitude he felt and the trust he'd started to develop were only small pieces of the puzzle. For him to have stayed put...to have found the courage to openly show that he cared...there could only be _one_ explanation.

 

          And it was something Taekwoon couldn't yet face admitting even to himself.

 

True, at first he hadn't even  _liked_ him...then he'd simply  _wanted_  him (in a strictly physical way). But somewhere along the line - during the long hours they'd spent in each other's company while starting to be trained these past few weeks - Taekwoon had started to feel differently about him. Watching his every move and his interactions with other people - though he'd made absolutely sure to appear completely oblivious to Hakyeon's presence - Taekwoon had been able to learn quite a bit about his character, his values, and all of his quirks (which he found adorable but would never admit it to Hakyeon's face unless tortured first!).

 

The things he'd learned about him, as well as the indescribable and inexplicable feelings of comfort and belonging he felt when he was near him, had all contributed to slowly but surely make Taekwoon fall in love with him. And the deeper Taekwoon had felt himself fall, the more he'd ignored Hakyeon. Because he simply couldn't deal with the embarrassment he felt in the other's presence now that he knew just how deeply he was starting to feel for him.

 

          "See, I knew it! I knew you like me...Just adm..."Hakyeon started to say, looking rather pleased with himself and the fact that Taekwoon was taking care of him.

 

Before he could finish his sentence, though, he found himself with the wet washcloth in his face and alone on his bed as Taekwoon had jumped from the bed and tossed the cloth at him at last - although he'd lasted much longer than the previous time.

 

But in the end, there was nothing he could have done about it. It was _one_ thing to show that he cared by not running away and taking care of him...and quite _another_ to stay after Hakyeon had just called his bluff so bluntly and with such a self-satisfied expression on his face. Taekwoon simply hadn't been able to control his urge to run and hide after that!

 

Plunking himself down on his own bed and facing the wall, Taekwoon patiently waited for his heated cheeks to cool down and his racing heart to slow down again. Little did he know that the very moment he finally succeeded, his not so satisfied and way too tenacious for his own good roommate would start messing with him all over again...

 

 


	15. Courage

Taekwoon hadn't even lain down for longer than half a minute when Hakyeon was already up and out of bed, making his way over to his roommate. He could have just stayed right where he was after peeling the wet washcloth from his face. He could have just ignored the way Taekwoon had taken care of him...or the spark of tender emotion he'd seen in the other's eyes - he was certain he hadn't simply imagined it. He could have done all that. 

 

Instead, he found himself unable to ignore it, ultimately even going as far as lying down right next to Taekwoon and spooning him from behind with his arm tightly wrapped around him in a possessive way.

 

          "Please don't ignore me...," Hakyeon quietly whispered into his roommate's ear before the other even had a chance to complain about the unwanted embrace or wriggle his way out of his arms, "...I know you won't admit it...That's okay, I won't make you...Just...just don't...run away from me...Let me hold you for a bit?"

 

Hakyeon held his breath, waiting for Taekwoon to either accept his extremely obtrusive advances and let him prevail or once again shove him off of his bed. In all honesty, even though he was used to getting what he wanted and strongly believed in his own powers of persuasion, Hakyeon fully expected his backside to hit the hard floor again.

 

Which was why he found Taekwoon's actions nothing short of shocking when the latter abruptly turned around in his arms to calmly face him. And though it was more than obvious that he felt shy...and even though his cheeks were quickly turning a delightful pink again...he seemed determined not to let this opportunity pass him by. Hakyeon secretly marveled at Taekwoon's courage when the latter slowly inched closer; he knew it must be incredibly difficult for him to openly show this fragile side of himself given his extreme shyness.

 

Wearing his heart on his sleeve - his gaze a mixture of uncertainty and longing - Taekwoon slowly moved in and hesitantly pressed his lips against Hakyeon's, their softness and warmth making Hakyeon immediately melt against him, a soft sigh escaping him.

 

Hakyeon stopped analyzing...stopped thinking altogether...and merely let his body and his needs take over. It felt like forever since he'd last felt Taekwoon's touch...since he'd tasted the sweetness of his lips and felt his warm, gentle breath intermingling with his own. After quickly straddling him and urgently burying his fingers in the soft hair at the back of his neck, Hakyeon leaned down toward him and urged him to open up beneath him.

 

          "Mmhh...," the softest little sigh escaped Taekwoon's throat when Hakyeon's tongue unhurriedly slid into his mouth and started to explore every angle of his warm cavern.

 

Hakyeon's heart skipped several beats after hearing that delicate, and incredibly addictive sound escape someone as withdrawn as Taekwoon; knowing that _he'd_ been the one who'd caused it, was making him feel as if he were floating on air. Furthermore, it was making him more and more daring.

 

Not even considering the possibility that he might come off as being much too aggressive or desperate, Hakyeon soon found himself being completely taken over by his desire, his kiss turning more and more heated...more and more passionate...until the two of them were practically devouring each other while rolling around on the bed highly aroused and in desperate need to feel a yet deeper connection.

 

Without even really knowing how to proceed in this situation, one of Hakyeon's hands instinctively found its way underneath Taekwoon's t-shirt, the feeling of his roommate's silky smooth skin sending shivers of excitement across his own flesh. When his thumb finally found and stroked one of Taekwoon's already hard nipples, he was immediately rewarded with an unusually deep, throaty moan.

 

Hakyeon could feel Taekwoon's need growing beneath him, the rock hard cock still imprisoned in his sweatpants straining up against Hakyeon's own erection. Hakyeon's movements intensified. Driven by the intense need to connect on an even more intimate level, he instinctively started moving his lower body, continuously grinding his own crotch across Taekwoon's in a way that soon had both of them incredibly aroused, breathing hard, and moaning into each other's mouths as they continued to kiss.

 

After a whole five minutes of this, Hakyeon started becoming braver, his now only slightly shaking hands boldly exploring Taekwoon's body further, finally dipping into his pants and briefs to carefully stroke his already leaking cock, the soft moans falling from Taekwoon's lips soon making his hand move faster. But with every moan he elicited from Taekwoon, the latter started to grow less and less afraid of opening up and showing his real self, his shyness slowly but surely evaporating beneath Hakyeon's heated touch. 

 

And by the time Hakyeon was finally ready to to take their relationship yet a step further and go all the way this time, to overcome the insecurity he'd felt ever since they'd first kissed - seeing as he'd never had sex before - Taekwoon completely surprised him by suddenly turning the tables.

 

Before Hakyeon could even react, Taekwoon had gently shoved him off of him and had reversed their positions. And though Taekwoon's shyness was still noticeable to a certain extent, he seemed to have overcome most of it while Hakyeon had been busy turning him on and getting him all hot and bothered. A fiery glint of desire had completely replaced the insecurity in the depths of Taekwoon's eyes as he hovered over Hakyeon and gazed down at him so intensely that Hakyeon's heart skipped several beats.

 

Without saying anything, with the look in his eyes saying more than he was likely to ever say with words, Taekwoon slowly started to undress him - his gaze and actions conveying without a doubt _exactly_ what he was about to do. Hakyeon was too busy trying to keep his heart from actually breaking through his ribcage - it was beating so wildly - to do more than just passively lie beneath him while Taekwoon undressed him. 

 

But after his t-shirt and socks had already hit the floor and the soft, warm fingertips of Taekwoon's delicate hands suddenly started skimming the delicate flesh of Hakyeon's tummy as he started reaching inside his sweatpants, Hakyeon's hand shot out to grasp Taekwoon's wrist and pause him in his tracks.

 

It wasn't that he didn't want to continue...and it wasn't that he was actually afraid of being penetrated - for it had suddenly become undoubtedly clear just _who_ would be topping in this relationship - it was only that he'd instinctively responded to the suddenly mad fluttering in his stomach, which he hadn't been able to control once Taekwoon's fingers had stroked so near his erection.

 

Seeming to understand Hakyeon's reaction, Taekwoon simply calmed him down and distracted him by bending down and snatching his lips for another heated kiss, which made Hakyeon momentarily ignore the colony of butterflies wreaking havoc in his stomach. 

 

And before Hakyeon knew exactly when or how it had happened, he found himself lying on Taekwoon's soft, white sheets butt naked and shivering in anticipation and from sheer nerves...

 


	16. Mine

Taekwoon sat back on his haunches and hungrily drank in every inch of Hakyeon's naked and completely vulnerable body, from his slender build to his not quite so pronounced but clearly visible abs to the beautifully toned, bronze-colored, and sexy as hell skin - the sight of which was already making Taekwoon go crazy.

 

After taking off his own clothes - teasing Hakyeon by going very slowly while intensely gazing down at him the entire time - Taekwoon bent down to kiss Hakyeon deeply one last time before gently turning him onto his front. Though he'd expected Hakyeon to protest - since he seemed extremely nervous - his roommate remained utterly silent and simply let Taekwoon guide him.

 

Taekwoon's hands gently glided across Hakyeon's back, his roommate's silky, bronze-colored skin immediately drawing Taekwoon's mouth to it as well. Leaning over him and gently letting his body rest on top of him, Taekwoon started to kiss Hakyeon's neck at its most sensitive spot, making Hakyeon's breathing intensify at once.

 

After a few moments, Taekwoon's mouth slowly started to travel further down Hakyeon's body, his lips and tongue lazily caressing his biceps, shoulder blades, the contours of his spine...until he finally reached the region where Hakyeon's lower back gave way to his muscular buttocks.

 

Taekwoon could feel Hakyeon's body trembling beneath him as his lips leisurely slid further down his backside, over his plump and perfectly rounded butt cheeks, until they came to rest dangerously close to Hakyeon's hole. Without thinking twice and already imagining the sounds he'd cause Hakyeon to make, Taekwoon gently pulled his buttocks apart to gain better access.

 

          "Aah-aaah...," the shocked sounding moans quickly escaped Hakyeon when the tip of Taekwoon's tongue started lapping at the rim of Hakyeon's hole; he seemed not to have expected Taekwoon to actually lick him there.

 

But Taekwoon had no qualms whatsoever about it, the only thing on his mind the need to hear Hakyeon's exquisite, throaty moans and make him completely lose his mind.

 

While Hakyeon was desperately trying to wriggle out from under him, apparently trying to get away from the naughty tongue now leisurely licking its way deeper into his depths and torturing his insides, Taekwoon gripped his ass firmly between his hands - not letting him escape even an inch - pried his hole open further with the use of both of his thumbs, flexed his tongue to make it harder, and stuck it in even deeper...fucking a now desperately struggling and moaning Hakyeon with the use of his expert tongue.

 

          "S-stop...," Hakyeon pleaded, his voice breathy and strained, "...aargh...you'll make me...aaah...come too...mhhh...early."

 

But Taekwoon didn't want to stop, showing absolutely no mercy to an already heavily moaning and panting Hakyeon, and continuing to lick him until Hakyeon's body suddenly spasmed and he finally came with a long-drawn moan, spilling onto the white sheets beneath him.

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Hakyeon's body was trembling wildly in the aftermath of what Taekwoon had done to him. But just as he finally managed to calm down and his body stopped being rocked by the aftershocks of his orgasm, Taekwoon already started the next attack. And as much as this new experience was overwhelming and shocking to him, he was nonetheless loving every second of Taekwoon's stimulating touches.

 

A bit surprised but now no longer shocked, Hakyeon simply buried his already bright red face beneath his crossed arms when Taekwoon started to slowly circle the rim of his hole with the tip of one of his fingers right before pushing the extremely long digit in until it wouldn't go any further. 

 

Hakyeon moaned loudly, the muscles adjoining his tight hole automatically squeezing the intruding finger firmly, the sensation of tightness and of being filled there turning him on more than he could have imagined. Since he'd only just come not too long ago, the overstimulation was already making him whimper even as he started to grow hard all over again. And by the time a second finger joined the first and Taekwoon started scissoring them to further widen his hole, Hakyeon was more than ready to be taken, suddenly feeling the overwhelming need to feel something larger - Taekwoon's cock - inside of him.

 

As if Taekwoon had read his thoughts, he pulled his fingers back out, disappeared into the bathroom for a moment, and came back with a bottle of body lotion. After gently turning Hakyeon onto his back again, kneeling between his spread legs, and applying some body lotion to his more than ready looking cock, Taekwoon finally lined his slicked up erection up with Hakyeon's hole and gently pushed inside.

 

At first, a shocking pain coursed through Hakyeon's backside from the very thick and hard intrusion. But after Taekwoon leaned down to him and took his mind off of his aching hole by kissing him gently and deeply, Hakyeon finally started to relax around Taekwoon's cock. And by the time Taekwoon had carefully pushed inside and pulled back out repeatedly, all Hakyeon felt was the most intense kind of pleasure he'd ever experienced.

 

Soon, he found his own body moving along with Taekwoon's, trying to get closer and closer to him...trying to get his warm, long, thick, and hard cock to fill every last inch of his hole to the point where every hard thrust of his and the accompanying, blissfully delicious ache drove him further and further toward his release.

 

And just when he thought he'd already learned everything there was to know about his own needs, Hakyeon was once again surprised to find himself so turned on by what Taekwoon was doing to him that he started talking dirty, asking him to fuck him even harder.

 

          "I never thought you'd like it hard," Taekwoon breathed into his ear before dipping his tongue into it while fucking into him a lot harder than before, making Hakyeon cry out in pain and pleasure.

 

Instead of replying, Hakyeon simply let his loud voice answer Taekwoon's words while the latter tightly gripped his buttocks and thrust into him with utter abandon, fucking him harder and faster until he had Hakyeon screaming out loud and completely wrecked him, turning him into a whimpering mess beneath him.

 

Hakyeon was so completely lost in the feeling of Taekwoon's warm cock hitting his sweet spot over and over again that he didn't even think about warning Taekwoon before he came for the second time that evening. With his hole tightly squeezing Taekwoon's cock as his orgasm crashed over him and rocked his whole body, Taekwoon came soon afterward, a slightly strangled cry spilling from his lips as his come spilled into Hakyeon, filling his insides with his warm seed.

 

Taekwoon sighed deeply as his body collapsed onto Hakyeon's, completely spent from having listened to Hakyeon's request and fucking him harder. After a moment's pause to catch his breath, Taekwoon moved in to once again entangle Hakyeon's tongue with his own while continuing to lightly thrust his still buried cock deeper into Hakyeon's hole.

 

          "You feel incredible," Hakyeon mumbled against Taekwoon's mouth even as they were still kissing, the need to tell him how good he felt making the words burst right out of him without a second thought.

 

And though he hadn't really expected a reply from his taciturn roommate/boyfriend (or whatever the hell they actually were now), he still found himself deeply disappointed, having wanted...or rather _needed_...to know if the two of them being together had felt just as incredible to Taekwoon as it had to him. In fact, it had felt so incredibly right to him that he'd had a really hard time keeping the tears of happiness that had longed to escape from actually spilling and betraying his feelings in Taekwoon's presence in a totally embarrassing way.

 

He didn't even know how, but he'd somehow managed to keep them at bay...but only just. Now, after not getting a satisfactory reply out of Taekwoon after just having had his very first time, he was on the verge of tears yet again.

 

But before the dam could actually burst and his pathetic tears could embarrass him at long last, Hakyeon suddenly felt Taekwoon's fingers gently comb through his hair right before he felt the softest of kisses...everything about Taekwoon's incredibly tender actions letting Hakyeon know without the use of a single word that he felt the same way.

 

Smiling into their shared kiss - and feeling Taekwoon smile against his own lips in reply - Hakyeon slung his arms tightly around Taekwoon's sweat-covered torso and held him tightly against him.

 

          _Nae kkeoya (Mine),_ Hakyeon thought, his heart skipping a beat from happiness; he would never let go of him again!  

 


	17. Together

Hakyeon patiently waited for the last of his dongsaengs to finally settle down on the floor next to him and complete the circle. It was early morning, only hours after his heated night with Taekwoon, and the six of them had been summoned to forgather in one of the larger training rooms, which was equipped with every kind of exercise and weight-training machine imaginable.

 

Though the six of them had been allowed to roam around the mansion and its grounds freely ever since they'd been briefed about their mission - seeing as they were no longer trying to flee, now that the seriousness of the situation had finally been conveyed to them - they were once again being locked in. Instead of being confined to their rooms with their roommates, however, all six of them were being kept enclosed in the rather large training facility located in the mansion's basement - which had a large training room, a utility room with a washer and a dryer, a bathroom, a shower room, and a fully equipped kitchen filled with supplies.

 

Though it was obvious to Hakyeon that the instructor's decision to lock them up together for an undetermined amount of time had been born out of the necessity for them to grow closer and finally become a real team, neither Hakyeon nor any of the others were at all happy about this new development. Though they'd spent the last few weeks in each other's company during training, they hadn't really talked a lot with one another. And whenever they _had_ talked, it had simply been about the simulations they'd gone through or whispered complaints behind the instructor's back about the training methods he was using.

 

Now, they were basically being forced into each other's company, were completely left to their own devices, and were suddenly supposed to figure everything out for themselves. Hakyeon wondered if this was the instructor's idea of payback for when he'd basically openly challenged his methods by standing up for Taekwoon. Because now, without the help of someone who actually knew what he was doing - even if his methods seemed cruel - it was up to Hakyeon as their leader to get them to train, to get them to work together...to get them to listen to him in the first place!

 

          Instinctively, he already knew he was in for a very rough ride!

 

          "Okay, guys, let's just try to get through this...let's try to motivate each other and do well...," Hakyeon tried to sound encouraging as well as authoritative, failing abysmally when his words were simply ignored and interrupted by everyone but Taekwoon - who, however, seemed just as disinclined to listen even if he hadn't joined the others' conversation.

 

          "Wonsik-ah...how long do you think it'll take for them to let us out and continue with our normal training after they realize we're not cooperating?" Hongbin asked in Wonsik's direction while his gaze wandered between the row of out of reach windows near the ceiling and the video camera in one of the corners, which was catching their every move.

 

          "I don't know...but I hope they're smart enough to let us out fast...I'm already getting tired of being here..." Wonsik replied, seeming more bored and tired rather than upset about their situation. 

 

          "I don't get why they have to lock us up _again_...," Jaehwan whispered quietly while suspiciously eying the camera as well, "...it's not like we don't get the importance of the program...and all of us already agreed to do this...we haven't run away, have we. So why...?"

 

          "They want us to bond," Hakyeon interjected.

 

          "Well, good luck with that," Hyuk said, his tone practically dripping with sarcasm.

 

Hakyeon remained silent, not knowing what to say to encourage any of them when they all seemed so determined not to even give this first group bonding attempt the slightest try. Not even Taekwoon, from whom Hakyeon would have expected at least some amount of support since they'd shared intimate moments not too long ago, was saying a word to help him out - although _this_  was probably due to the fact that he felt too shy around the others to say even a single word, in which case Hakyeon really couldn't be angry with him.

 

And though it was true that Hakyeon didn't want to be there any more than the rest of them, he couldn't just ignore his responsibilities. It was _his_ duty, after all, to take care of the other members, to ensure the success of the mission, and _above_ _all_ \- at least he'd categorized that duty as the most important of them all, even if he wasn't sure their instructor or the man in charge would agree - he needed to look out for their safety. And the indisputable matter of the fact was: if they didn't bond, didn't develop the close relationships and the trust needed to stand against their foe as _one_...all of them were likely to die!

 

So, Hakyeon really had no choice. And though he felt just as awkward around them as they did and just as desperate to return to his own, less crowded, and much more comfortable room, they were simply going to have to do this. And it was up to Hakyeon to find a way to make them become more than just six strangers thrown together by destiny.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. I will update more soon, but I wanted to update at least a bit now and wish you all a Happy 7th Anniversary!!! Lots of Love to my fellow Starlights, and I hope you have a great day and celebrate our boys!


	18. Blackmail

Wonsik leaned back slightly, supporting his weight on his outstretched arms, and watched the others argue for a while, not feeling like adding anything new to the discussion that had been going on for quite some time now. 

 

And instead of there being any new developments, the same lame cycle just kept repeating: Hakyeon desperately trying to get everyone present to start introducing and talking about themselves so that they could get to know each other better...and everyone else simply ignoring his words. And though he couldn't even express just how tiresome he was starting to find this pointless repetition, Wonsik also had to admit that he was perhaps the slightest bit impressed by Hakyeon's tenacity - he really had to hand it to him, even if he found it annoying as hell at the same time!

 

Just as he was asking himself for the umpteenth time when _the fuck_  Hakyeon would finally give up trying to persuade them to have a heartfelt talk and bond - because let's face it, none of them had wanted him as their leader in the first place, and that wasn't going to change, no matter how persistent he was! - Hakyeon surprised him by finally shutting up.

 

But instead of remaining quietly seated like the rest of them and waiting for the men in charge to recognize the pointlessness of their bonding mission and let them out again, Hakyeon quickly got up and left the training room to head off to the kitchen.

 

          "What the hell is he up to _now_?" Hongbin asked as soon as the eldest had left the room, though he didn't even try to keep his voice down, apparently not minding one bit if Hakyeon heard his slightly disrespectful remark.

 

Wonsik simply shrugged his shoulders in reply while cracking a smile at Hongbin. He loved this savage side of his roommate, the side that didn't seem to give a fuck about possibly offending others when it came to speaking his mind - and his habit of judgmentally rolling his eyes when he didn't agree with someone else's words or actions. And while they'd all been locked up together in order to bond with each other, it wasn't as if no bonds had been formed between any of them at all. Since Hongbin, Jaehwan, Hyuk, and Wonsik shared a room, the four of them had slowly gotten to know each other and had at least formed something akin to a friendly alliance.

 

Even if they hadn't become actual friends, they _had_ grown to partially understand and at least respect the individuals they spent the most time with. And from what Wonsik could gather from watching Taekwoon and Hakyeon, the two of them seemed to have gotten slightly closer as well, at least as far as he could tell. Though they still didn't really look at each other or speak to one another at all, something seemed to have grown between them...there appeared to be an understanding of some sort. Perhaps they, too, had formed a friendly alliance simply because they shared a room and spent the most amount of time in each other's company.

 

So, the _real_ reason all six of them had been forced to spend time with each other, Wonsik assumed, must be that it had become more than obvious from their interactions with each other that a) there was a huge rift between the two groups of people sharing rooms and b) none of them saw Hakyeon as the leader he was supposed to be. And since this development was, of course, highly detrimental to a group in which each and every one of them was supposed to be dependant on and able to rely on their teammates - with all of their lives at stake, no less! - the ones in charge had decided to finally get them to bond by making all of them suffer together. 

 

True, they weren't really being tortured by being locked up. And they had everything they needed. But the fact alone that they couldn't leave, were continuously being watched by cameras, and wouldn't be released unless they interacted with each other, was already burdensome enough to Wonsik. And he strongly believed the others felt the exact same way - well, except for Hakyeon, perhaps, who at least seemed determined to see this through even if he didn't want to be locked up with them any more than they did.

 

And though Wonsik knew just how important it was for them to bond and for their mission to succeed, he  _still_ couldn't get himself to simply go along with Hakyeon and the ones in charge without putting up any kind of fight. In his opinion, he should have been _asked_ whom he wanted as a leader. All of them should have been allowed to chose instead of just having Hakyeon be declared as their leader without any of the other members' say.

 

 

After a couple of minutes, in which they all just stared down at the folded hands in their laps and endured the uncomfortable silence between them, Hakyeon suddenly burst back into the training room with a large crate stuffed full to the brim with what appeared to be a mixture of various games and an array of delicious looking snacks and chocolate bars.

 

          "Yaedeul a (Guys)...look what I found...," Hakyeon said excitedly, enthusiastically pulling a Twister mat and the accompanying spinner out of the box and showing it to them all. 

 

Wonsik could literally see Jaehwan's eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets; but not because of the game, he realized, but because of the chocolate bar that had fallen to the floor when Hakyeon had pulled the game accessories out. And a moment later, he noticed the predatory glint in Taekwoon's eyes as his gaze landed on the chocolate bar as well. Wonsik actually had to stifle a laugh while silently admitting to himself that Taekwoon's extreme obsession with food seemed hilarious and almost kind of cute at times. And about Jaehwan...well, he was familiar with most of his mannerisms by now...so he already knew he was cute.

 

          "What's so amusing?" Hyuk whispered to him from the side, apparently having caught the small tug at Wonsik's lips before he'd been able to hide it completely - the boy was quick.

 

          "Nothing...," Wonsik answered quietly while shaking his head; but his amusement seeped into his voice, nonetheless.

 

Instead of calling him out on his obvious lie, Hyuk simply flashed him a small smile before directing his gaze at Jaehwan and Taekwoon. Wonsik had the strong impression that he was already in on the joke without Wonsik having to say even a single word. After sharing one last amused glance, the two of them quickly broke eye contact, so as not to burst into laughter.

 

A resolution that failed the very next moment when several things happened in quick succession:

\- Oblivious of each other, Jaehwan and Taekwoon shot forward at exactly the same moment to attack the chocolate bar that had fallen to the floor at Hakyeon's feet

\- Hakyeon immediately noticed what both of them were up to

\- Jaehwan's and Taekwoon's outstretched hands reached for the bar, fingers almost touching it...

\- ...Just as Hakyeon's incredibly fast and perfectly aimed kick shot the bar right out from under their fingertips...

\- ...Making both of them collide and land facedown at Hakyeon's feet...the chocolate bar sliding across the floor and disappearing underneath training supplies in the corner of the room, nowhere to be seen again

 

Wonsik and Hongbin both immediately burst out laughing (the two of them having already been on the verge of losing it even before this comedic scene), and Wonsik's distinctive and very infectious laughter pulled everyone with him, until even Jaehwan and Taekwoon - who might not have found it quite as hilarious seeing as they were the very ones who'd literally just kissed the floor at Hakyeon's feet - were laughing right along with them.

 

          "Guess I know what to use as leverage now...," Hakyeon was the first one to speak after finally having stopped laughing, immediately drawing Wonsik's attention along with everyone else's, "...So, who wants a chocolate bar...or a snack? All you have to do is play Twister...but we won't play at all unless every one of us participates."

 

A series of loud groans swept across the room, and Wonsik's gaze immediately flew to Jaehwan's pleading face and the warning glint in Taekwoon's eyes...both of them in their own way trying to silently convey just how much they wanted the others to participate so that they could get what they wanted from an obviously very obstinate Hakyeon who wouldn't give them their treat unless the 'children played nicely'.

 

Whereas Jaehwan's little pout was nothing short of adorable, Wonsik found himself becoming slightly worried about Hakyeon's roommate, whose stare was indeed very intimidating. And though Wonsik was sure there was a softer side to Taekwoon - he'd glimpsed it from time to time, especially when he was with Hakyeon - he also couldn't stop from worrying about Taekwoon's ability to remain civil when there was something he wanted. And what Taekwoon always seemed to want badly was food.

 

Wonsik's apprehensive thoughts seemed to coincide with Hongbin's and Hyuk's, the latter seeming especially worried and quickly softly elbowing Wonsik in the ribs to silently urge him to play along. Wonsik suddenly remembered a short but honest conversation he'd had with Hyuk one night when the other two had already slept, the maknae having confessed to being afraid of Taekwoon, who always seemed ill-tempered, uninterested, and utterly unapproachable. And it seemed his fear of Hakyeon's formidable roommate with his broad shoulders was making Hyuk silently plead for Wonsik to go along and play so as not to displease Taekwoon.

 

Wonsik sighed heavily. Not only was Hyuk silently asking him not to oppose Hakyeon, but Hongbin seemed just as anxious not to get in Taekwoon's way. And the _one_ person who could have, theoretically, remained on Wonsik's side as an ally and not caved to Taekwoon's 'death stare' - Jaehwan - was one of the two people begging for the others' support.

 

           _How on_ earth _can someone be governed by their stomachs to such an extent?!_ Wonsik asked himself, clawing at his hair in frustration before finally caving - for Jaehwan's sake, not because he found Taekwoon intimidating.

 

          "Fine...," Wonsik grudgingly spoke at long last, throwing everyone around him, _especially Jaehwan_ , hostile glares - just because he'd caved because of him, it didn't mean he had to be nice about it, "...let's play...maybe they'll finally let us out after that."

 

          "Great...," Hakyeon said cheerfully, so cheerfully in fact that Wonsik felt the strong desire to punch him, "...then let's divide into two teams first."

 

Immediately, the other members quickly scooted closer to each other and away from Hakyeon; apparently, no one wanted to be in a team with him. The pronounced frown on Hakyeon's face, as well as the stank face he loved to make at every opportunity, both soon disappeared and were replaced with a forced smile as Hakyeon successively reached for both Taekwoon's and Hyuk's wrists and pulled them toward him to build a team.

 

Wonsik looked around at his own teammates - Jaehwan and Hongbin - and sadly shook his head in regret and denial. He simply couldn't believe that he'd let his 'affection' (for want of a more fitting word) for his roommates make him agree to Hakyeon's more than childish blackmailing. He felt like an elementary school kid all over again...having to be a good boy, behave and listen to the teacher, so that he could get rewarded with a lollypop - or in this case, a chocolate bar or snack.

 

Quickly suppressing what was still left of his pride after shamefully having succumbed to this whole stupid mess after only one glance at Jaehwan's pouty lip, Wonsik got ready to face his worst nightmare: a game of Twister with Jaehwan and Hongbin with Hakyeon as the referee!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter. Please comment if you can. It helps me out tremendously to know what you're thinking, and it also keeps me motivated to continue writing. If you like the story, please give it kudos. It's always nice to know if someone actually enjoys reading what you write. Thanks for your interest, and I hope you have a great day :-)


	19. Twister 1

Jaehwan quickly got to his feet and prepared himself for the game by carefully stretching. He was about to approach Wonsik and thank him for agreeing to participate - since he'd seemed to be the one with the strongest opposition and had probably only agreed for everyone else's sake - but the somewhat annoyed expression on Wonsik's face when Jaehwan met his gaze made him immediately backtrack and feel slightly guilty.

 

He knew he shouldn't have sent his dongsaeng such a pleading look, but when it came to chocolate and other unhealthy snacks, Jaehwan had a hard time controlling himself. It might have seemed stupid to everyone else, but to _him_ the chocolate bars and snacks were something he really missed from his previous life...the life in which he'd been innocent...in which he hadn't needed to go through so much hardship...the life he'd now indefinitely left behind and given up for the sake of everyone else. And while it was true that they'd been fed well ever since they'd arrived, snacks and chocolate simply hadn't been on the menu seeing as they'd had to maintain a healthy diet.

 

So these ordinary snacks, which other people might regard as something not even worth the effort he was putting in to obtain them, were more than just treats to Jaehwan. They represented comfort...they represented memories of the simple life he'd left behind...they would once again take him back to a peaceful place...to a moment when his world had still made sense...when everything had been alright.

 

          "Okay, guys," Hakyeon called out, positioning himself right next to the Twister mat he'd just placed on the floor so that he could supervise the game.

 

Wonsik, Hongbin, and Jaehwan also took up positions, Wonsik and Hongbin at opposite ends of the mat with their feet on the blue and yellow circles, and Jaehwan at the side of the mat facing the center with his feet on the two middle red circles.

 

          "Sijaghaja (Let's start)," Hakyeon said, holding the spinner in his hand and enthusiastically spinning the needle, which then came to rest on the bottom left corner of the board, "...Left hand blue."

 

The game proceeded slowly, all three of them needing to get a feel for how to best move across the mat. And at first, they succeeded well in keeping out of each other's way, the moves not too difficult to follow. After the tenth spin, however, things started to get really difficult. Wonsik and Hongbin had both been moving further toward him with every move, finally encroaching on his personal space. And although he'd already spent a lot of time with his roommates and didn't at all dislike them, this new kind of closeness was something Jaehwan simply didn't feel too comfortable with. 

 

He was the kind of person who had no problem, whatsoever, with skinship once he befriended someone, and he'd always been physically close and shared friendly and warm touches with the friends he'd grown up with. However, it took a while for Jaehwan to warm up to others and reach that level at which he started feeling comfortable with it. And he'd only known the others for a couple of weeks now. 

 

So he found himself far outside his comfort zone when Hongbin's and Wonsik's arms and legs suddenly brushed against his body from both sides. Not wanting to let it distract him from giving the game his best - he couldn't be sure that Hakyeon wouldn't change the rules in the end and only give snacks to the winner - Jaehwan tried to ignore the contact and simply concentrate on not letting any other parts of his body touch the mat and disqualify him.

 

And his strategy worked fairly well for the next three spins or so. Hongbin, unable to actually grow another arm to enable him to reach far enough behind Jaehwan's body to occupy the only empty circle he could have used, finally lost his balance and just barely missed knocking right into Jaehwan and Wonsik as he fell onto the mat. With only Wonsik and him left, Jaehwan was actually feeling optimistic that he could make it to the very end, having gained lots of space next to him now that Hongbin had left.

 

But fate...and Hakyeon's finger at the 'trigger'...seemed to have something else in store for him. Instead of being able to finally use the empty space next to him, the circle he wanted to occupy - the one that didn't require him to turn into an acrobat and twist his body beyond his ability - ended up being taken by Wonsik first, who went out of his way to occupy it instead (fully on purpose!).

 

          "You could have moved in the other direction!" Jaehwan complained, the pitch of his voice automatically rising, "Just what are you _doing_?!"

 

          "Winning," Wonsik replied drily. 

 

From Wonsik's determined and well thought-out move, it had become more than clear that although he'd done Jaehwan and Taekwoon a favour and had agreed to play, his help wouldn't reach any further than _that_ because he was dead set on winning the game for himself. Jaehwan could literally feel Wonsik's ambition and had no choice but to try and make him lose his balance first.

 

          "You have to move now...or you'll be disqualified," Hakyeon 'kindly' reminded Jaehwan, who was still struggling to keep his balance while thinking hard about where to possibly place his left hand, now that the circle he'd aimed for was taken.

 

In the end, he decided on the only possible space he could reach that would not require him to bend his body in two and which could also make things more difficult for Wonsik's next move. Without thinking too much about the  _exact_ position he would end up in, Jaehwan aimed for the circle situated on Wonsik's other side and carefully reached underneath his body, navigating the gap between Wonsik's chest and the mat. After stretching his arm further and further without fully reaching it, Jaehwan repositioned himself, moving closer to Wonsik with his upper body to finally reach the circle without losing his balance.

 

By the time Jaehwan realized just how badly he'd just encroached on Wonsik's personal space, not to mention how intensely he'd diminished his _own,_ it was already too late to change his move. Jaehwan held his breath when he suddenly found himself nose to nose with Wonsik, who was awkwardly holding himself up on all fours while facing him, his eyes open wide in shock at finding Jaehwan right in his face.

 

Unexpectedly, Jaehwan started to tremble, finding it harder and harder to keep the position he'd just acquired at the cost of his personal space and peace of mind. Despite his desperate efforts to concentrate on Hakyeon's next instruction and ignore the disturbingly intimate feeling of Wonsik's warm breath gusting against his lips as the other finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding, Jaehwan could already feel his arms starting to fail him and fully expected to fall to the mat at any second.

 

What he hadn't expected, though, was that he wasn't the only one having trouble holding his body up. A split second before Jaehwan felt his hands give out from under him, Wonsik's body had already started to crumble, and both of them ended up on the floor...their bodies, as well as their lips, tightly pressed against one another.

 

While everyone around them started teasing them, cheering and wolf whistling loudly and enthusiastically, Jaehwan remained utterly still - too shocked to even move -waiting for Wonsik to quickly lift himself off of him. When Wonsik, however, didn't move either, seemingly just as shocked and unable to move, the moments ticked on with both of their lips still locked together in a kiss none of them could have foretold.

 

          "Okay...ahem...," Hakyeon awkwardly started a moment later while quickly bending down and lifting Wonsik's body off of Jaehwan's, "...when I spoke about bonding, _this_ wasn't what I meant."

 

At that, the other members, obviously enjoying the hell out of Wonsik and Jaehwan's mishap, started laughing their asses off one by one...all but Taekwoon (who, however, was grinning madly), and Wonsik and Jaehwan, who awkwardly headed back with glowing red faces and ears, sat back down next to the other members - as far from each other as possible - and refused to look at each other.  

 

 


	20. Twister 2

Taekwoon waited until Hakyeon had handed the spinner over to Hongbin and he and Hyuk had placed their feet on opposite ends of the mat before finally - very reluctantly - joining them. He soooo didn't feel like playing. But the prospect of snacks he couldn't otherwise get his hands on was making him overcome his strong disinclination.

 

The game started with Hongbin spinning the needle and giving them directions, and before Taekwoon knew what hit him, he found himself tightly squeezed between Hakyeon and Hyuk in a most uncomfortable position. Sighing inwardly and wondering if the snacks were really worth all this shit he had to go through to get them, Taekwoon did his best to keep calm, though feeling as though he might lose it at any second.

 

He already had the hardest time opening up to other people, more often preferring to be alone instead of seeking other people's company. And while he might have gotten closer - extremely close, actually - with Hakyeon, it was a completely different story with Hyuk, whom he was now not only forced to interact with but who was encroaching more and more on Taekwoon's personal space, making him the most uncomfortable he'd felt during his entire stay at the mansion - including the time he'd been tied up.

 

Though he'd never experienced claustrophobia before, Taekwoon thought it might feel similar to what he was experiencing just then - all the air suddenly seemed to be sucked from the room and he just couldn't seem to catch his breath. The feeling of two bodies restricting him so thoroughly from both sides was unexpectedly making him panic. Temporarily losing his composure, Taekwoon instinctively lashed out at the person he felt most uncomfortable and unfamiliar with and rather harshly pushed Hyuk away from him, knocking him to the ground, where he ended up groaning loudly and holding the back of his head, obviously in pain.

 

          "What are you _doing_?!" Hakyeon angrily shouted at him before quickly getting to his feet and rushing to Hyuk's side.

 

          "Are you alright?" Taekwoon heard Hakyeon ask their youngest member, his soft, concern-filled voice the exact opposite of what it had sounded like when he'd addressed Taekwoon.

 

Yet even while he was powerless against the sudden pang in his heart after hearing Hakyeon's hostile tone, he understood where Hakyeon was coming from. From an outsider's point of view - because Taekwoon didn't communicate and let others know or even show it when he felt uncomfortable - it was perhaps natural to assume that Taekwoon had simply pushed Hyuk because he'd felt like it or because he'd wanted to win the game.

 

Taekwoon could feel the other members' condemning gazes on him and inwardly started to withdraw further into his shell, though his outward expression remained unchanged, not giving any of his inner turmoil away. And though it might have seemed as though he was taking in everything that happened around him, he was already long gone and lost in his own thoughts.

 

Which was why he was suddenly surprised to find Hakyeon grabbing him by the wrist, hauling him to his feet, dragging him across the training area and into the utility room, and closing the door behind them. Before he could even attempt to put up his guard against the harsh scolding he knew must be coming, Hakyeon surprised him yet again by gently placing his palms against his cheeks and gazing up at him in concern.

 

          "What's wrong?...Why did you do that?" he finally asked in a gentle tone, "...and I...I'm sorry...for shouting earlier...I just...hadn't expected _that_."

 

Taekwoon could feel his eyes brimming with tears, though he couldn't really explain why he suddenly felt like crying. But he guessed it could have to do with the fact that Hakyeon actually seemed to have noticed there was something going on with him and that he hadn't simply felt like bullying Hyuk. And somehow, something about Hakyeon always seemed to bring out his softer side, getting him to be more in touch with his feelings. 

 

Although Taekwoon really  _wanted_ to answer, the words refused to come to him. Even though he _wanted_ to explain the intense feeling of panic he'd experienced and the reason for pushing Hyuk away, he couldn't find the right words to convey any of it. 

 

In the end, he simply let the tears fall and wet his cheeks as well as Hakyeon's fingers without saying a word while feeling utterly embarrassed about the fact that he was actually crying - he never cried! - and that Hakyeon was seeing him this way.

 

          "It's okay...," Hakyeon soothed him, placing a tender kiss on his lips while gently wiping away his tears with the use of his thumbs, "...let's go back now...I'm sure we can...solve this."

 

Though Taekwoon was reluctant to leave this comfortable space and rejoin the other members - who were probably all busy cursing him behind his back - he let Hakyeon drag him back to the training room.

 

          "Okay, guys, gather round," Hakyeon said to the other members, getting them to form a circle on the ground once again.

 

          "Taekwoon's sorry," Hakyeon started but was soon interrupted.

 

          "Let him say so, himself," Hongbin immediately challenged, "If he's apologizing, let _him_ do it."

 

Taekwoon's head automatically sank several inches towards the floor as all eyes fell on him at once. He was already starting to feel the familiar heat creep into his cheeks from getting too much attention.

 

The room was silent for a long moment before Hakyeon spoke again on his behalf.

 

          "I don't think he meant to hurt Hyuk...he probably panicked...," Hakyeon tried to explain, "...he's just very shy..."

 

          "Very _shy_?...You're joking, right?" Wonsik interjected, "...very _aggressive_ is more like it."

 

          "No...very _shy_...," Hakyeon stubbornly maintained, "...and because he's so shy, he doesn't know how to handle himself when he's around people he doesn't know...so he acts tough and aggressive because he doesn't want to show his insecurity! I think he panicked when Hyuk got too close...that's why he pushed him away."

 

And during the whole time Hakyeon was 'defending' him while revealing all of his weaknesses at the same time, Taekwoon's head continued its downward movement in embarrassment until he was basically kissing the floor while showing everyone the crown of his head instead of his bright red face.

 

          "What's he doing?" Taekwoon heard Jaehwan's voice, his embarrassment only growing as he realized how stupid he must look to them in this position.

 

          "He's embarrassed...Honestly, guys, don't you have eyes?" Hakyeon said, sounding slightly exasperated, "Still don't think he's shy?" he added while actually moving closer to Taekwoon, gripping his shoulders, and gently forcing him to lift his head and upper body from the floor and show his bright red face to everyone.

 

Since Hakyeon was still holding him tightly and wouldn't let him sink to the floor again, Taekwoon instead immediately buried his head in the crook of Hakyeon's neck, escaping everyone's gaze yet again.

 

The room had once more fallen silent and it seemed as though the others finally understood what Hakyeon had been trying to tell them and the misunderstanding had been cleared up even though Taekwoon hadn't even apologized once for shoving the youngest. As the seconds ticked by, he was just about to start feeling relieved and calm down again when he heard Hakyeon's next - and utterly outrageous - announcement.

 

          "So, I guess we should drop the unnecessary games and jump right into the most intimate ones...like mouth to mouth...and I think Taekwoon should play with every single member...we're not leaving until we make progress."

 


	21. Breaking the Ice

Hyuk couldn't believe his extremely bad luck when he was chosen to go first. It hadn't even been a minute since Hakyeon had declared his determination to have Taekwoon bond with every single member by playing a mouth to mouth game. And before Hyuk even had the slightest chance to acclimatize and prepare himself for such a daunting task, Hakyeon had already chosen him to go first.

 

Hyuk didn't know if he'd been told to go first because he was the maknae or because Hakyeon was aware of just how uncomfortable, or rather  _afraid_ , he felt in Taekwoon's company and wanted to get the worst case out of the way first. Though he couldn't be certain, he guessed it was for the second reason. Because he was sure it was written all over his face: the fact that he felt terrified of the intimidating member who never spoke a word and only glared whenever their gazes happened to meet - which he tried to avoid as much as possible!

 

And while that fear might have just melted the tiniest bit after seeing a side of Taekwoon he hadn't even imagined existed, he could still feel his knees shaking as he made his way over to where Taekwoon was sitting with his head still buried in the crook of Hakyeon's neck. Something about the soft and strangely intimate image the two of them presented took another little bit of Hyuk's fear, making his wildly beating heart calm back down a bit as he seated himself directly opposite Taekwoon and folded his legs under.

 

          "Let me go get the Pepero sticks," Hakyeon said while gently lifting Taekwoon's head off of his shoulder so that he could get up and get them from the crate he'd brought earlier.

 

Hyuk watched in astonishment as Taekwoon desperately grabbed Hakyeon's arm and buried his head on his shoulder again before the other could even move, obviously unwilling to let Hakyeon move even an inch out of his reach. Quite frankly, Hyuk couldn't believe this was the same person who continuously intimidated others with his intense stare...the same person who always seemed aggressive, uninterested, and didn't seem to care one iota about other people.

 

And now he was showing all of his weaknesses...weaknesses none of them had guessed an intimidating person such as Taekwoon could even possess. But here he was, the person Hyuk had feared the most (apart from the people who'd brought them there), completely embarrassed and holding onto Hakyeon for dear life - the soft way in which he was clinging to someone else for comfort abruptly melting the last bit of fear Hyuk had kept inside.

 

Hyuk had no idea why he'd never before caught even the tiniest glimpse of this side of Taekwoon, though he guessed his hyung must have put in extra effort to appear hostile and unapproachable for none of them to notice just how soft and fragile he was on the inside. But now that Hyuk had finally seen it, the intimidating image of the terrifying monster he'd created in his mind simply because he hadn't known any better and had completely misunderstood him, was finally crumbling completely.

 

No longer afraid - only embarrassed about having to get very close to someone he still didn't know - Hyuk gently lifted Taekwoon's head off of Hakyeon's shoulder and carefully turned it toward him, making both Taekwoon and Hakyeon throw him utterly surprised glances.

 

          "You can get the sticks now," Hyuk spoke to Hakyeon, his gaze still locked with Taekwoon's, who started blushing anew.

 

Though it took Hakyeon a moment to react - he seemed quite shocked by Hyuk's straightforwardness and sudden fearlessness - he quickly recovered and brought the Pepero sticks they needed in order to start the game.

 

Slightly nervous - though by no means as much as he'd been before he'd seen Taekwoon's softer side - Hyuk took the Pepero stick Hakyeon handed him, placed it between his teeth and slowly approached Taekwoon, who remained frozen with his lips tightly shut, obviously terrified and utterly unwilling to participate.

 

          "Please," Hyuk heard Hakyeon pleadingly whisper in Taekwoon's ear, his voice so low Hyuk was sure he hadn't meant anyone - including Hyuk - to overhear.

 

The very way Hakyeon had spoken this one simple word, as well as the cadence of his voice, which seemed to carry a highly intimate undertone, implied a deeper connection than what they outwardly appeared to have, and Hyuk suddenly found himself wondering just what exactly the relationship between the two of them was. Because if he didn't know any better - quite obviously it was highly unlikely as they were both men - Hyuk might have actually suspected that they were intimate with each other. And by intimate, he didn't mean simply sharing their deeper thoughts and feelings...but sharing something else as well!

 

Quickly discarding this notion - because, come on, how could _that_ be?! - Hyuk quickly returned his attention to Taekwoon, who had actually complied with Hakyeon's wish and was now slightly opening his mouth, ready to bite the other end of the stick as soon as Hyuk moved toward him again.

 

Hyuk gulped nervously and moved toward him, carefully placing the unoccupied end of the Pepero in Taekwoon's mouth. 

 

          "I think it would be best for you to move toward him and for Taekwoon to just stay put. That way, he won't be too stressed out," Hakyeon suggested.

 

Hyuk quietly nodded, surprised to see Taekwoon do the same and immediately close his eyes, waiting for Hyuk to take control and start the game. Hyuk waited a long moment before actually starting, needing a minute to adjust to the completely new image he was seeing of Taekwoon, who minus his usual intimidating and cold expression was actually looking really cute with his closed eyes and red cheeks. 

 

Hyuk suddenly felt an odd yet welcome feeling of warmth and calm wash over him, thinking that if this was the actual, the true, Taekwoon he was seeing now, he might actually like to get to know him better, and perhaps they could even be friends someday.

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Hongbin was speechless as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Unbelievable as it might seem, Taekwoon was being fully compliant and totally adorable as he patiently waited for Hyuk to approach his end and finally bite off the stick.

 

Hongbin still couldn't believe he'd changed this much in the space of only an hour. Or perhaps it was merely Hongbin's perception of him that had changed. Because now that he thought about it, he was sure he'd simply never actually looked at Taekwoon closely enough to realize that his taciturn hyung had been hiding his true - shy, introverted, but thoroughly loveable - self behind a gigantic and almost impenetrable wall of toughness and hostility. So it appeared as though he'd actually always been like this, but that something drastic must have happened to make him finally show this hidden side of him.

 

And judging from the way he was acting around Hakyeon, the way he turned to him for comfort and relied on him, it seemed Hakyeon must have done something to tear down that wall, or to at least start the process. Because it looked like it had actually only fully crumbled after the other members had all started to see his vulnerability as well. And it appeared as though Taekwoon suddenly found himself unable to go back to acting as tough and aloof as before, now that they'd seen how shy he actually was.

 

Which left a completely adorable Taekwoon, who - as Hongbin could already tell by everyone else's responses to the change - was already being liked by the other members, who hadn't been able to stop smiling to themselves while watching Taekwoon's shy interactions with their maknae.

 

And by the time every single member, including Hongbin, had played the Pepero game with Taekwoon - who seemed to relax more and more the longer they played - the overall vibe within the group had changed so much that it was basically unrecognizable. But the _one_ thing that still seemed to remain the same was: although Hongbin and his roommates had all grown to like Taekwoon and appreciate every single time - though it was still extremely rare - that his lips almost pulled into something resembling a smile, the overall relationship with _Hakyeon_ had remained unchanged.

 

Because even though Hongbin had found a new kind of respect for him - solely because he realized that it must have taken a lot of effort and persistence for him to have gotten through to Taekwoon in such a way that had allowed the latter to finally break down his own walls and open up more - he still couldn't really warm up to him.

 

For one: as their appointed leader, he _was_ and would always _be_ isolated within their group. Too high in ranking to actually be one of them or to befriend them, Hakyeon could only hope to succeed in his duties and lead them well. But right there lay the next problem: _Because_ they weren't close to him, none of the members even trusted him enough for them to really see him as their leader in the first place.

 

So it was really a cycle that seemed to lead absolutely nowhere, and their whole mission already appeared doomed to fail. And perhaps by looking at things in this way, Hongbin was being overly negative. But that was just the way he saw it. And there was no use, whatsoever, in trying to bullshit himself - or anyone else, for that matter.

 

As far as Hongbin was concerned, Hakyeon would never be their rightful and acknowledged leader. Period!

 


	22. Doomed

Jaehwan quietly sat at the gigantic dining room table, where all the members had gathered for dinner and a group discussion with their head instructor, patiently waiting for the 'important talk' they were supposed to have that evening. Immediately following the few 'bonding' games they'd had while being locked up, the higher-ups had let them out again, apparently quite satisfied with the amount of progress they'd already made after Taekwoon had finally given up on maintaining the tough act he'd been hiding behind until then. And even though they hadn't really accepted Hakyeon as their leader yet or gotten closer to him in any way, it seemed the progress they'd made had been deemed sufficient to let them leave their confinement and allow them to go back to their daily routine.

 

That had been about a week ago, and although everything else about his daily training and life had gone back to the way it had been before, there was _one_ thing that had changed drastically: his interaction with Wonsik. Before, the two of them had gotten along rather well, had talked with each other quite often - seeing as they shared a bunk bed with Jaehwan on the lower and Wonsik on the upper level - and had felt very comfortable in each other's company. 

 

But ever since that cursed game of Twister - when the two of them had ended up unintentionally kissing - there suddenly seemed to be an insurmountable barrier between them: the memory of their lips touching! 

 

Perhaps it would have been completely different if the two of them had simply sat down right afterward, had talked about it and laughed it off...had treated it as a simple unfortunate mistake and looked at it with a kind of 'shit happens' attitude. But that had never happened. They hadn't discussed it once...hadn't even  _mentioned_ it once...and hadn't even really looked at each other ever since it had happened. Completely embarrassed, the two of them were utterly avoiding each other...even going to incredible lengths to stay out of each other's way so that they wouldn't have to deal with the reality of what had happened between them.

 

And Jaehwan couldn't even exactly say _what_ had happened between them. Because, honestly, it shouldn't even have been such a big deal, right? 

 

So, their lips had touched - so what?!

And then they'd stayed that way for much longer than they should have - so what?!

And he hadn't been able to stop himself from thinking that it felt...kind of nice - so fucking what?!

 

None of it should have warranted the behavior that had followed...the way both of them hadn't even been able to meet each other's eyes. If none of it really mattered...if it was _nothing,_ shouldn't they have just brushed it off long ago and gone back to interacting with each other the way they had before? 

 

So why was it so _fucking_ hard to do that?

 

Jaehwan had no answers, only more questions. And the more time that passed without them talking to each other, the more Jaehwan wondered what the other might be thinking or feeling about him - and the more he hoped none of it had happened in the first place so that they wouldn't need to be so awkward around each other. Because after not having them for a week already, Jaehwan found that he really missed their talks, even if they hadn't been particularly deep or philosophical in nature.

 

But it seemed it was too late to change any of it...and they would just have to endure through it until they could, hopefully, just forget about what had happened one day.

 

          "Today's an important day," the head instructor, who'd taken over training again after they'd gotten back to their normal routine, addressed them excitedly and seemingly nervously at the same time, "You've finally completed your individual simulations, and we've managed to collect all the necessary data to ensure that you all get the specific modifications and enhancements needed to make you stronger."

 

Jaehwan swallowed hard. This wasn't the first time he'd heard the ominous words 'modifications' and 'enhancements', but that still didn't mean he had even the slightest clue as to what any of it meant. But instead of outright asking their instructor for a more detailed explanation, Jaehwan once again found himself feeling too intimidated to ask.

 

Therefore, he was more than relieved when Hakyeon suddenly did what _he'd_ been unable to. Jaehwan held his breath as he listened to the conversation between their instructor and the group 'leader', who somehow didn't really seem like a leader, but towards whom Jaehwan was slowly starting to feel more respect and gratitude as he addressed all the fears and doubts Jaehwan couldn't get himself to voice out loud.

 

          "This isn't good enough for me...," Hakyeon said, anger evident in his voice, "...You keep mentioning the words 'modifications' and 'enhancements' without giving any details or any kind of explanation as to the nature of these two procedures. Are you going to fit us out with some kind of high-tech equipment...or what the hell are you actually talking about? I want detailed information...or none of us is going to continue...we'll just leave...and then you can do this crap without us."

 

Jaehwan wasn't sure what he was expecting. But it sure as hell wasn't what he saw and heard when the instructor finally followed Hakyeon's wish and started to explain the entire situation, leaving absolutely nothing out. And the very next moment, Jaehwan found himself adamantly wishing that he'd never found out the actual truth!

 

Even long into the early morning hours, Jaehwan still found himself lying awake in his bed, afraid and shaking with every fibre of his being...yet still unable to simply get up and leave the mansion and the whole mission behind in order to save his own life - the images of devastation they'd been shown and the realization that there was no one else who even had a shot at stopping this monstrous fiend keeping him tied to his bed and to the place that would end up leading to his own damnation and demise.

 

But for the sake of his family and everyone else he treasured...and for the sake of all of mankind...he felt he simply couldn't turn his back on his destiny, no matter how desperately he wanted to. And he was sure the others felt the same way: deeply afraid but trapped by their strong senses of responsibility and love.

 

And so, the whole group would be united in their horrible destiny. Because the unavoidable truth of their situation was: They'd been created and genetically designed to withstand the severe modifications and enhancements they needed to get in order to even stand a fighting chance against their enemy. And if they hadn't been created to fight this fight, they never even would have been born!

 

Jaehwan's eyes remained wide open throughout the entire night, the images his mind would conjure if he let himself fall asleep too ghastly to imagine. He could already see the members' grotesque images as cyborgs with weird components sticking out at odd angles or the hideous faces of other members who were to be turned into vampires - at least, that's how Jaehwan had understood it; the members were to be divided into ones who received enhancements but remained human (cyborgs) and others who were to be made immortal through a virus the government had created and perfected over many generations, the secret weapon they'd never actually deployed before (vampires).

 

Even now, the whole idea sounded nothing short of ludicrous whenever Jaehwan replayed it in his mind. But that didn't change the fact that the hour of their transformation was drawing ever nearer and the individuals they'd been their entire lives would simply cease to exist mere hours after the sun came up.

 

Jaehwan couldn't bear to think about what the future would hold for them. Because how could life as a monster possibly be worth living for?!

 


	23. Desperate

Hakyeon silently closed the door behind him and Taekwoon, his hand resting on the knob shaking terribly as he remained facing the entrance. He didn't dare turn around and look at Taekwoon, afraid that the fear that had taken hold of him was written all over his face. 

 

All the way up to their room, Hakyeon had managed to keep up the facade...to appear strong, confident, and positive in front of the other members. Because as their leader, he'd felt it was his duty to stay strong for all of them...to be their anchor and keep the members from letting their fears drown them. Already feeling like a complete failure - had he been a true leader, he should have found another way for them to win this impossible fight...should have found a way to save them all from their terrible fate! - he simply couldn't bear the thought of letting the mask slip away and showing his boyfriend his pathetic weakness...his crippling fear.

 

He'd really tried hard not to break down, and he'd managed to fool everyone for a longer amount of time than he'd thought possible. But the moment the door had closed behind them, leaving him completely alone with Taekwoon, his composure had immediately started to crumble. Because, even though he _wanted_ to be strong for his boyfriend, the truth was: deep down he was devastated...afraid...and just wanted to be held. 

 

Before Hakyeon even had the chance to pull himself back together and hide his fear, Taekwoon's strong arms were already reaching around his waist from behind, his boyfriend's warm and hard body embracing him tightly...giving him the comfort he'd longed for so desperately. Hakyeon couldn't hold on any longer, his body practically sagging backward against Taekwoon's as the dam burst and he broke down crying.

 

After being held for what seemed like a small eternity, Taekwoon finally turned him around in his arms. Hakyeon panicked, the only thought in his mind now that he'd already lost his composure that he must look horribly ugly after having cried for so long.

 

          "Don't look at me...I'm gross," Hakyeon quickly squealed at his boyfriend while trying to wriggle out of his arms and turn away from him again so that he couldn't look at his puffy, red eyes and tear covered face.

 

But Taekwoon wouldn't have any of it and kept a secure hold on Hakyeon's arms, forcing him to stay put while quickly stealing a kiss from him instead. Hakyeon had absolutely no clue how his boyfriend could even stand to kiss him when he must look horribly ugly after crying. 

 

          "You're beautiful," Taekwoon said, the loving gaze in his eyes something Hakyeon had never seen before - at least in terms of intensity; and the mere - and completely unexpected - fact that his taciturn boyfriend had even said these words to him at all, was suddenly making Hakyeon's heart beat faster, his fear abruptly forgotten.

 

          "Liar," Hakyeon called him out on what could only be a falsehood - because how could he possibly look beautiful?! - and was immediately rewarded with the cutest little smile, which almost had him melting.

 

But a mere moment later, Taekwoon's smile vanished completely, and the glint of amusement in his eyes was soon replaced with one of longing. The kind of longing and desperate need both of them felt...to drown the fear clawing at their hearts by losing one another in each other's arms...to chase away the cold with the warm, comforting feeling of their bodies melding.

 

No words were needed between them, the unspoken language of their wildly beating hearts and naked, writhing bodies all that was needed to drown their fears of the unknown future as they poured all of their passion into the kisses and touches they shared.

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Taekwoon was lost in the feeling of Hakyeon kissing him...touching him...every cell in his body tingling and humming with excitement. Though they'd made love once before, this suddenly felt so much different. Perhaps he'd forgotten just how good it had felt because they hadn't had a chance to be intimate after their first time, what with all the heavy training they'd had to endure.

 

Or perhaps it felt so much better, so much more intense, than the first time because it could possibly be their _last_  - who knew what the future held for them...how they would change...how much of the love and passion which they felt for each other _now_ would remain after they went through the transformations.

 

For whatever reason, Taekwoon felt like he was floating on air while at the same time drowning in the sensations sweeping over him. He couldn't even really say at which point he'd simply let Hakyeon take complete control over him...because the last time they'd been intimate, their roles had been reversed. Nor could he say if Hakyeon had consciously taken the wheel or if this situation and his sudden will to dominate was something derived from his need to control whatever situation he _could_ now that their lives were no longer in their own hands.

 

Whatever had prompted him to take control, Taekwoon was secretly loving every moment of it.

 

Though he _did_ have to admit that he was having an incredibly hard time trying to deal with not only the many attacks on his senses but also the fact that his boyfriend's sudden fierceness and overwhelming sexiness was making him blush and try to hide his glowing cheeks by clutching his pillow in front of his face every chance he got. It was so much worse than the first time they'd made love. At the time, he'd quickly gotten over his embarrassment. This time, however, he felt it even more acutely. Perhaps because Hakyeon's expressions and actions were suddenly so fucking intense and he just hadn't been ready for it!

 

          "Will you stop hiding?...," Hakyeon finally said in an amused but slightly exasperated tone before forcefully pulling the pillow out of his hands and throwing it across the room so that Taekwoon had nothing to hide behind anymore, "...I want to see you."

 

Instead of listening - because he felt _way_ beyond embarrassed - Taekwoon instead proceeded to hide his face by holding his crossed arms up in front of it. But, of course, he should have known better than to try to hide again. Because the very next moment, Hakyeon gently grabbed his wrists, untangled his arms, and pinned them above his head instead, holding them there with one hand...while the other was already moving down his body again.

 

          " _And_ I want to _hear_ you," Hakyeon whispered in his ear before dipping his tongue in while his free hand resumed stroking Taekwoon's already extremely hard erection.

 

Taekwoon threw his head back - his neck overstretching almost painfully - as soft moans escaped him. Though not because Hakyeon had just said he wanted to hear him, but because of his boyfriend's naughty thumb, which was continuously teasing his already leaking slit. And because of Hakyeon's warm, wet tongue, which kept invading his ear and making him shiver. The concurrent stimulations were leaving him no choice but to react - though he suddenly almost wished he could keep his moans from escaping just to tease his boyfriend for abruptly making him feel so powerless, embarrassed, and needy.

 

          "Turn around for me," Hakyeon seductively whispered in his ear once more, and Taekwoon found himself readily complying, rolling onto his stomach, and burying his head under his arms.

 

The very next things he felt were Hakyeon's soft lips on his shoulder blades and his hands all over his ass. Before he could let out the breath he'd started holding after so willingly and foolishly presenting his backside and thus his vulnerable and hitherto untouched entrance to his boyfriend, Hakyeon had already wet two of his fingers with his own saliva and started to draw lazy, teasing circles around the rim of his hole before finally pushing one of his fingers in slowly but deeply.

 

The breath Taekwoon had been holding whooshed right out of him in a mixture of shock and arousal, a breathy and shaky moan escaping right along with it. He hadn't expected it to feel this way. And he hadn't yet decided if he liked this feeling...or not - though if the fact that he'd just grown even harder was any indication, he would have to admit that it seemed to be the former.

 

          "I love the sound of your moaning," Hakyeon whispered against Taekwoon's heated skin in a low, sensual voice before gently biting the most sensitive part of his neck.

 

At the same time, he pushed the second wet finger into Taekwoon, making him squirm and bury his head deeper into the mattress beneath him, trying to stifle the even louder moans which tore from his throat at the double invasion.

 

          "Aaaah...a-aaah...eungghhh...," Taekwoon moaned in a higher pitched voice, completely unsuccessful at muffling the sounds as Hakyeon had actually grabbed him by the back of his neck - though not so hard that it was painful - and lifted his head from the mattress in order to hear his moans.

 

          "N-not fair...," Taekwoon managed to convey in a shaky voice in between more moans as Hakyeon continued to torment him in a good way by continuously pushing in, pulling out, and scissoring his fingers, deploying all the skills Taekwoon didn't even know his boyfriend had while preparing and widening his hole.

 

By the time Hakyeon finally seemed satisfied with the number of moans he'd managed to elicit from Taekwoon's throat with the use of his fingers, Taekwoon was already a desperate and hot mess. Hakyeon quickly fetched a bottle of body lotion from the bathroom and squirted some onto his erection, preparing to take Taekwoon from behind. Taekwoon could already feel the tip of Hakyeon's cock slowly pushing up against his ass and lining up with his hole.

 

Taekwoon's body shivered the moment his boyfriend's hard, warm cock pushed into him, slowly and carefully filling him up inch by fucking inch until Taekwoon felt he couldn't breathe, the feeling so unfamiliar, painful, but at the same time extremely powerful in the best possible way. So powerful, in fact, that he found himself unable to catch his breath even long after.

 

          "Are you okay?...," Hakyeon's worry-filled voice reached Taekwoon, "...Is it bad?...Am I hurting you?"

 

          "Hurts...good," Taekwoon managed to answer once he'd found his breath again, though his reply only seemed to confuse Hakyeon.

 

          "What do you mean?...It hurts...or it's good?" Hakyeon asked while keeping utterly still, seemingly not wanting to hurt him further by moving.

 

          "Both...," Taekwoon replied, "...it hurts...but it hurts good."

 

          "Does that even make sense?" Hakyeon replied while starting to laugh.

 

          "It does to me," Taekwoon answered while actually wiggling his hips and pushing backward against Hakyeon's cock, urging him to finally move again.

 

And though Hakyeon was still slightly laughing under his breath, he finally started moving again, planting his cock deeply inside Taekwoon's ass before pulling it out almost all the way again...until Taekwoon was mewling and urging him to fill him again, the feeling of being filled so unexpectedly satisfying and addictive that he couldn't believe he'd never tried this before now.

 

Before long, the two of them found their own rhythm...sometimes lazy, sometimes frantic...but each time filled with all the passion and feelings they carried inside and with the soft, sweet, and intimately deep kisses they couldn't seem to get enough of while feeling each other's bodies connecting and moving in unison.

 

And somewhere in between the many times that night that they landed right back in each other's arms - even though they should have been too exhausted to even move a muscle after having repeatedly switched positions, made love, and come so many times - the fearful, looming future had been banished from their thoughts...completely forgotten and conquered by sheer exhaustion, the happiness of their shared moments, and the warm and loving arms with which they held each other tight.     

 

 


	24. Marked

Wonsik couldn't keep still, nervousness making him continuously wring his hands as he sat with his team members and waited for the first of them to be called up to start the procedure. It was early in the morning, and all six of them were quietly - too quietly - sitting in the small waiting area in front of 'Doctor Frankenstein's' room. 

 

At least that's what Wonsik had decided to call the room which none of them had ever seen before; the room that had always been out of bounds - its mysterious contents securely locked away behind a high-security level door lock with fingerprint and retinal scanner. But even more ominous than the high-security clearance needed to enter the space was the fact that a continuous, low humming sound kept drifting toward them as they waited, a sound Wonsik imagined must also be generated at huge power plants.

 

          It was the sound of high-voltage...

          Of waves upon waves of enormous energy radiating from machines...

          The blood-chilling, unnatural sound of man-made madness...

          Turning Wonsik's blood to ice...and filling his heart and mind with fear...

          

But there was no going back. They'd all agreed - irrespective of whether this was something they actually wanted or something they wanted to run away from but simply couldn't. Their fate had long since been decided...and all that was left to do was to somehow make it through it!

 

Wonsik closed his eyes and tried to escape the reality of what was soon to happen, delving into memories and illusions of wonderful, sunny days with blue skies...of moments filled with peace, light, and warmth. But when real warmth suddenly reached him - chasing away the illusion and bringing him back to the here and now and the smaller hand with long, slender fingers that had just slid into his own and clasped fingers - Wonsik felt shocked.

 

Throughout the previous evening and well into the sleepless night he'd spent after knowing what was going to happen to them all, there had been moments when his eyes had met Jaehwan's...when the two of them had felt connected in their misery even though they'd been avoiding each other ever since they'd kiss-...since their lips had accidentally met. While they hadn't spoken a single word to one another, it had been pretty clear that they'd thought the same thoughts, felt the same things, feared the same nameless horrors awaiting them. And though he hadn't really wanted to admit it, Wonsik had already felt somewhat comforted by Jaehwan's presence and the short, awkward glances they'd exchanged even while trying to ignore each other.

 

But _this_ felt different. Jaehwan suddenly reaching for his hand and entwining their fingers was demonstrating a level of intimacy the two of them hadn't even established between them - even if their lips had accidentally met! - and was completely throwing him off. He simply didn't know how to react.

 

What he _did_ know, though, was that, whether entitled to grab his hand or _not_ , Jaehwan's gesture felt comforting on a whole new level. The extreme fear and hopelessness that had taken hold of him were suddenly lessened considerably by the mere touch of Jaehwan's hand, be it for the sole reason that another human being or someone in the same predicament was sharing his fear or be it for a completely different reason. It really didn't matter. What _mattered_ was the very _real_ warmth now seeping into him through his hyung's touch.

 

No longer worrying about appearances or about what was right and wrong for the kind of relationship they had - because, let's face it, they were completely fucked anyway, so what the hell did it even matter anymore! - Wonsik gripped Jaehwan's hand a bit tighter, gently squeezing the other's fingers to express his gratitude. Ignoring the other members' glances at their intertwined hands - though at the same time surreptitiously stealing a glance at Hakyeon and Taekwoon and noticing that they were holding hands as well - Wonsik simply concentrated on and savored the feeling of Jaehwan's hand in his own, and managed to find his inner peace again.

 

But that peace was, of course, transitory and lasted only until one of the agents assisting the medical and science teams which would conduct the procedures walked into the waiting area and started to mark them all with ink symbols - as if they were animals rather than human beings - by using two ordinary, harmless looking handstamps.

 

All six members were utterly silent as Hakyeon - the eldest - received the first stamp, and Wonsik couldn't help but stretch his neck as far as he could reach in order to see the black symbol stamped onto his hyung's forearm.

 

          "What does it mean?" Hakyeon's somewhat shaky voice penetrated the silence while Wonsik's gaze remained glued to the black mark that looked like it was in the shape of a heart symbol, but strangely mechanical with many interlacing wires.

 

           "Cyborg," the agent commented monosyllabically.

 

Wonsik could see Hakyeon's face fall, though he very much doubted his expression would have been all that different at seeing the symbol for vampire instead. Because really, one was likely to be just as bad as the other!

 

Wonsik felt like he was a character in a really bad joke...everything about this whole sick and twisted shit - especially the part where they were actually being stamped as if this were a fun children's program or a party event for adolescents and young adults - was downright ridiculous...and  _not_ in a funny way.

 

Holding his breath - and he guessed the others were all doing the same - he continued to watch their imminent fates unfold as the assistant proceeded to mark every last one in their team using the 'heart' symbol and one which actually looked like fangs (these guys  _had_ to be fucking kidding them... _Seriously_?).

 

Vampire - Taekwoon let out a shocked breath; Hakyeon, sitting beside him, flinched.

 

Vampire - Jaehwan's fingers twitched and Wonsik could sense that his hyung was surprised; Wonsik was startled as well, not having expected someone as delicate as Jaehwan suitable to become a vampire.

 

Cyborg...Wonsik took a deep breath and slowly let it sink in; in all honesty, he couldn't even say which one of the two evils he'd expected to befall him or which one he would have preferred, and he guessed it didn't really matter much...Still, somehow 'vampire' sounded cooler.

 

Vampire...Hongbin actually seemed quite pleased with the outcome while Hyuk, who'd soon after been chosen as a Cyborg, looked as though he couldn't believe his misfortune; it seemed the maknae, who already had a very strong build with thick shoulders and thighs, would have preferred becoming a vampire - perhaps he thought there could be nothing more powerful than such a creature.

 

After the assistant finally left the waiting area, leaving six very confused team members behind, whose silent glances all seemed to communicate that they'd very much like to switch with one another - except for Hongbin - the door to the secret laboratory and their impending doom finally opened and another assistant walked through into the waiting area to call up the first member to have the procedure done.

 

Wonsik didn't know what induced him to do so but suddenly found his free hand reaching for Hakyeon's as the latter walked past him to enter the room. Not knowing what to say, but suddenly feeling a pang of guilt for not really having given his hyung the slightest chance as a leader even though he'd seen his potential, the way he'd been committed, and how hard he'd tried to lead and protect the other members, Wonsik simply grabbed and lightly squeezed Hakyeon's hand, at least wanting him to know that he cared.

 

And though Wonsik would have completely understood if he'd given him the cold shoulder in return for the many times Wonsik had done the same and ignored him, he found his hyung actually smiling down at him with an encouraging and warm look in his eyes - though his smile did look somewhat forced given the circumstances.

 

Wonsik shyly smiled in return and gently pulled his hand back, feeling embarrassed but grateful at the same time. And as he silently watched his hyung's back as the latter disappeared through what could only be seen as the door to hell, Wonsik couldn't help but wonder what kind of person...or thing...would return in his stead.

 


	25. The Truth About Borgs and Vamps

Hakyeon was slowly regaining consciousness, his eyelids still tightly closed and feeling so heavy that he didn't even try to open them; he just didn't have the energy. Every inch of his body was hurting and he felt like a scorching fire was slowly burning its way through his veins. Though he'd feared the procedure and its aftereffects from the start, he would never have imagined that it would cause him this much pain.

 

          "Aarghh...," Hakyeon groaned weakly, unable to keep from showing his pain even though he didn't want to; but the energy he would have needed in order to suppress his voice was nowhere to be found.

 

          "Sorry, I didn't realize you'd awoken," a soft, female voice - probably a nurse's - spoke to him as the person it belonged to bustled around him.

 

The next thing Hakyeon could feel were her fingers at his wrist and a pressure in his vein that could only be associated with an infusion of some kind. When the pain he'd been feeling suddenly disappeared, he realized he must have been given pain killers. Relieved and abruptly drowsy again, Hakyeon let go of the worries and the thousand questions on his mind and once again drifted into oblivion.

 

And though the state he found himself in was dreamless, it was nonetheless filled with the many dark and frightening impressions he'd gathered right before the procedure:

\- the cold and sterile environment of the room he'd been rolled into on the medical stretcher bed they'd laid him on

\- the eerily blue light infusing the entire area

\- the blindingly bright white neon tubes covering parts of the machines and walls

\- the thick power cables spanning the floors and walls, bringing the dead machines to life

\- the large, coffin-like metal pipes with sliding glass partitions made to hold human bodies

\- the many infusion tubes running along the inside walls of the 'coffins'...making Hakyeon shudder just thinking about those tubes being stuck into his veins

\- the surgical instruments and endoscope cameras attached to the insides of the pipes 

- the overwhelmingly loud humming of powerful and dangerous machines

Thankfully, the procedure itself was not among the impressions he'd gathered as he'd been given fast-working anesthesia right before it started. 

 

Hakyeon spent the following hours in and out of consciousness, his mind playing tricks on him, creating false images...realities which didn't exist and disappeared as soon as he opened his eyes. After what felt like a small eternity, Hakyeon found back to his senses again and finally opened his eyes, fully awake at last. The vivid and excruciating pain he'd felt before was almost completely gone, only dull remnants of it remaining.

 

Now that Hakyeon had found back to himself, could breathe easier, and felt less distracted without the pain, he finally had the chance to have a good look at his surroundings. He was obviously in some kind of recovery room, the same kind of room he'd seen in dramas but had never actually needed to be in before. The room was light-flooded and had a very sterile feel to it. Immediately, Hakyeon could see the other members lying in beds across from him and to his side, each of them on the drip and receiving fluids (probably with the addition of the same kind of pain killers Hakyeon had received).

 

As none of the others had fully awoken yet, Hakyeon had the chance to get a good look at each of them. Lying next to him on his left, Wonsik was sleeping soundly - and starting to snore _very_ loudly. Hakyeon's eyes carefully roamed his dongsaeng's face and body looking for the changes that had been made when he'd been turned into a cyborg. He'd fully expected to see disturbingly gross tubes sticking out of him or metallic implants disfiguring his body and was utterly amazed when he couldn't see any difference in his appearance.

 

          Had they not gone through with the procedure after all?

 

Looking at Wonsik's face more carefully, Hakyeon finally saw something that definitely hadn't been there before. Though they almost weren't noticeable at all and he had to look really closely to see them, Hakyeon found the slightest traces of the change on Wonsik's face: thin, pale, and symmetrical lines ran vertically from both of his eyebrows up into his hairline, accompanied by similarly pale sets of dots. The same symmetrical lines also spanned the sections beside his eyes, running horizontally from the corners of his eyes to his ears. The third and last set of lines ran downward from the corners of his mouth to disappear near the bottom of his chin.

 

Hakyeon quickly reached up to touch his own face since there was no mirror nearby in which he could have checked his reflection, his fingers somewhat shakily skimming over his facial features. With a mixture of relief and apprehension - though he was glad that the lines and dots weren't all that visible and thus not disfiguring in any way, it was also a very strange and slightly off-putting experience to feel the protruding sections...to touch what seemed like finely crafted implants spanning his face just beneath the surface of the skin.

 

Unbidden and abruptly - he hadn't even considered the possibility of a connection, it just came to him out of the blue - images flashed across his minds eye of him standing in front of the bathroom mirror in his home after having had a terrifying nightmare and only just catching the fading remnants of glowing lines around his eyes - the same kind of lines he found his fingertips grazing at this very moment.

 

A shiver ran down Hakyeon's spine at the realization that he somehow seemed to have foreseen this change, even if he hadn't even known he was capable of such unfathomable things. At the time, he'd thought it was just the aftereffects of the nightmare he'd suffered through.

 

          "Are you curious as to what you look like?" the kind nurse, who Hakyeon could now see looked just as friendly as her voice sounded, gently asked him while hesitantly holding a small hand mirror out to him; it seemed she wasn't quite sure if he could handle the sight of his new face.

 

Hakyeon simply nodded in reply, not having found the energy to use his voice yet. His hand felt clammy, his slick fingers slightly slipping across the handle of the hand mirror as he finally took it from the nurse's hand and brought it up to his face. It dropped to the bedsheets a split second later.

 

He hadn't been expecting it. He'd expected to find the same lines he could see on Wonsik's face...and he did indeed have the same lines. What he hadn't expected...what he simply couldn't have seen behind Wonsik's closed lids...were his eyes.

 

While he'd been content with the fact that the changes weren't too obvious and grotesque looking, his eyes looked as foreign and scary to him as possibly imaginable. He had the same kind of eyes as the master of the castle and founder of the 'Shadow Program'. And though he'd seen his cyborg eyes, he still hadn't expected his eyes to look the same...hadn't even really thought about the fact that he'd actually seen a cyborg before. With everything that had been going on and because he hadn't crossed paths with the man for a very long time, it had simply slipped his mind.

 

And while he was glad that the lines and dots at least didn't look as prominent as the landlord's, he felt shocked at having the same kind of eerie, unnatural eyes. Because if he'd been at all able to choose whether he wanted to sacrifice the naturalness of his eyes or the smoothness and intactness of the rest of his body, he would have immediately chosen the latter. Even though his overall looks mattered to him and the thought of having metal plates or other parts disfiguring his body, he couldn't help but feel that the foreign and alien look of his eyes - the mirror to his soul - was a hundred times worse.

 

Clutching the mirror with his still shaking hand, Hakyeon brought it back up to his face, a lone tear sliding from the corner of his eye as he quietly sat gazing at his eyes. Following the movement of the salty drop, his jet-black pupils suddenly started to move like the lens of a camera when zooming in on an object, the black particles scattered in the icy blue irises starting to rotate around the pupils at the same time. Abruptly, the image of the teardrop became a hundred times sharper, clearer, and incredibly detailed, showing a rainbow of the most vibrant colors imaginable from the refracted and reflected sunlight shining into the room and directly onto the drop.

 

Hakyeon held his breath, set down the mirror, and started looking around the room again. Only this time, he had a very clear objective. Concentrating on the details of Taekwoon's face, who was lying directly opposite him, he started experimenting with his new set of eyes, zooming in and out...even finding ways to change the width of his pupils in such a way that he could control the amount of light entering them. Amazed rather than shocked, now that he got a feel for how much better he was able to see because of the enhancement of his eyes, Hakyeon slowly adjusted and felt less shocked.

 

But it only lasted until he picked up the mirror again. Deciding simply not to look in the mirror again - well, at least until he'd gotten fully used to his new eyes - he gave it back to the nurse and continued to observe his surroundings. 

 

He was actually very surprised that he couldn't seem to notice anything abnormal about Taekwoon's face...or the other vampires' faces for that matter. Although, when he thought about it, he couldn't believe he'd actually expected any outwards changes in their appearances. Because vampires - at least the fictitious kind he'd read about or seen on tv or in the movies - didn't look any different than anyone else if one ignored the fact that they were pale as ghosts and as long as they didn't open their mouths to reveal their sharp and very dangerous 'pointies'.

 

The one thing he _did_ notice though, was that all three of his vampire-turned dongsaengs were actually very securely fastened to their beds with the thickest chains Hakyeon had ever laid eyes on. Which seriously begged the question: What the _fuck?_

 

Hakyeon suddenly found himself wondering about the other (cyborg) members' safety. Before now, he'd expected there to be difficulties and adjustments, but he'd never really thought that they'd find themselves in such danger that it was necessary to actually bind the other three members with chains.

 

Before he could even really process any of it, the doctor in charge of the project and the one who'd done all of their procedures walked through the door and approached Hakyeon, his hand outstretched to greet him. Hakyeon hesitated but finally greeted him in return, his hand shooting forward much faster than he'd meant to do or anticipated.

 

          "Careful...," the doctor gently warned him, "...you have a different body now...It's much stronger and faster than you can imagine...the wrong move and you could knock me down or crush my bones...You will have to practice in order to get a feel for the new and improved you...It's my fault for offering you my hand before explaining...I do apologize...But from now on, you should refrain from touching anyone other than your team members."

 

          "Can I ask about...the others...the v-vampires?" Hakyeon hesitantly asked.

 

For one thing, he wasn't sure if he could just ask the doctor anything he wanted as he didn't really know him all too well, or if the doctor was even at liberty to discuss every little detail about their transformations with him. And for another thing, he didn't even know if he could take the truth once he learned it. What had happened to the others and his lover that made it necessary for them to be restrained like this?

 

          "Of course, young man, as you are their leader, I will answer any questions you might have. After all, you are the one who will have to find a way to domesticate them."

 

          "Domesticate?" Hakyeon asked, a bit taken aback, "Is it that bad?"

 

          "Well, do you think the chains are only accessories or decoration?" the doctor replied, laughing slightly; Hakyeon thought his sense of humor was definitely lacking!

 

          "I'm sorry, I should not have joked about it. I'm sure this is all new and shocking to you whereas I'm already so accustomed to it that I didn't think properly before speaking," the doctor at least had the decency to apologize.

 

Hakyeon merely nodded, showing his acceptance of the apology, and waited for the doctor to explain further.

 

          "You see, right now they are very much like wild animals. This shortly after their transformation, the vampiric instinct is at its strongest...and basically, the very first thing a vampire wants to do after setting its sights on its prey is to sink its teeth into it or rip its head off, depending on its mood or how large its appetite is, I guess."

 

          "Well that's just great," Hakyeon replied, burying his head in his hands in frustration.

 

Just another one of those impossible problems to solve. And of course, he was the one who'd have to do it!

 

          "Don't worry, young man...," the doctor tried to make him feel better, though he was really sucking at it, "...we can tame them together. There's still a lot that has to be explained, and we can't just let you go back to your rooms in this state...you'd probably be eaten."

 

          Hakyeon was right: the guy sucked at it _big time_!

 

Right on queue, Taekwoon's eyes shot open, revealing black pupils surrounded by brightly glowing, yellow irises and fixing Hakyeon with the most intense stare he'd ever seen - which was saying a lot! The movement had been so incredibly fast and unexpected, the predatory glint in his lover's eyes so scary that it turned Hakyeon's blood to ice. 

 

As if Taekwoon could see exactly what his stare was doing to his prey, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted to form a wide, frightening grin and show off his precious and pointy pearly whites. A shudder ran down Hakyeon's spine as he imagined the tips of Taekwoon's teeth sinking into his soft and sensitive neck to feed off of him.

 

          "Don't worry...," the doctor once again tried to console him, and Hakyeon was already afraid of the words that would come out of his mouth next; so far, every time he'd tried to make him feel better, he'd only ended up making things worse, "...it doesn't hurt that much once you get used to it."

 

          ' _Once you get used to it'? What the_ fuck _?_

 

"W-why should I get used to it?" Hakyeon asked even though he feared the answer, "You said we'd tame them...What are you not telling me?"

 

          "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you'd already been informed?" the doctor replied, looking surprised and uncomfortable with the task of having to be the one to break 'the news' to him.

 

Hakyeon didn't reply and only continued to stare the man down. He was getting sick and tired of all the important things people around here always assumed he already knew and never took the time to explain.

 

          "Err...well...," the doctor started a bit uncertainly, obviously affected by Hakyeon's suddenly hostile and impatient stare, "...the thing is...although they are not like the vampires generally depicted in books or movies and don't _need_ blood in order to survive - in fact, the could very well live off of hamburgers or ramen - in this case it's essential that they learn how to control themselves while feeding off of you and the other cyborgs."

 

          "I don't understand...Why...if they don't really need to?" Hakyeon asked, rubbing his temples; he was getting a headache from all the bullshit he was hearing.

 

          "You will all need to be at your strongest to even have the slightest chance to defeat Shadow?"

 

          "Is that its real name?" Hakyeon suddenly asked, curious as they'd only ever referred to it as the evil, shadowlike creature.

 

          "I don't think it even has a name. But I like to refer to it as Shadow because I think the name befits its appearance...So to get back to what I've been trying to tell you before you interrupted me...you need to be incredibly strong just to survive this beast...and the strongest creature...the best weapon we have...is the vampires we create when their bodies are filled with fresh, human blood. And the reason we couldn't turn all six of you into vampires and have all of you as our strongest warriors is that each vampire needs a human to feed on when you're on the battlefield."

 

          "So, we won't need to do that until we fight, right?" Hakyeon asked, feeling a bit relieved that the threat wasn't as immediate as he'd thought.

 

            "Wrong...," the doctor immediately dashed his hope, "...you will have to start practicing very soon and make it a daily routine in order to make them lose the extreme bloodthirst they will feel when starting to feed on you. It has to become something regular to take the edge off the longing they feel and you need to practice continually until they arrive at a point where they can completely control the urge."

 

           "Daily? Are you trying to kill us? How can we survive something like that?" Hakyeon asked, outraged; how could the doctor even ask this of them...there was no way they could survive this constant blood loss.

 

          "Don't worry...Although it might not seem like it to you, we actually know what we're doing. We've been researching and creating for generations before you were even born. And one of the changes we've made to your bodies as cyborgs is that you can now regenerate incredibly fast and produce much larger quantities of blood. We've designed you especially to withstand this much blood loss without any risk to your health."

 

           "Except for being mauled every day," Hakyeon grumpily replied.

 

          "Well that's a pessimistic way of looking at things," the doctor replied, frowning slightly.

 

Hakyeon didn't give a shit if the doctor felt insulted because he'd just criticized the medical teams master creations that he seemed to be so proud of. But the  _doctor_ wasn't the one who'd have to have his blood sucked out 24/7. So Hakyeon felt he could well do with a bit of criticism.

 

The doctor, evidently feeling that their conversation was over, quickly strode back out of the room, leaving Hakyeon alone to once again meet the eyes hungrily gazing at him from across the room. And while Hakyeon sat on his bed tightly hugging his arms around his knees and shivering, Taekwoon, who seemed to have attentively listened to every single word he'd exchanged with the physician, leisurely licked his lower lip before naughtily winking at him...       

 


	26. Happy Meal

Hyuk nervously paced from wall to wall in the small room, waiting for one of the agents to bring Hongbin to him so that they could start their very first session. Two weeks had already gone by since their transformations, and up until now, everything had worked out according to plan. Though the three vampires in their team had been extremely wild and bloodthirsty for the first couple of days and had needed to remain chained up while being fed blood bags containing human blood, they'd quickly adjusted and learned to control themselves more with each passing day.

 

And although Hyuk and the other cyborgs had kind of hoped that they could just go on that way forever, the day had nonetheless come when the faceless, nameless blood bags were finally replaced with the real deal. While the vampire members were being kept in separate treatment rooms, chained to their beds to avoid any unnecessary trouble, the cyborgs had been able to go back to their rooms shortly after the procedure. But even though Hyuk had once again spent the night in his comfortable and safe bed, he hadn't slept _one wink_ , dreading the moment when he would have to start practicing with Hongbin...when he'd actually have to let him feed off of him as if he were some kind of 'Happy Meal'.

 

Well, Hyuk was nowhere near 'happy' about it. He hated the very idea of presenting his vulnerable neck and having a vampire-psycho chomp into it. And what if the doctor overseeing the vampires' progress had misjudged their ability to hold themselves back? What if Hongbin lost it and ripped his neck off...or drank until he'd sucked every last drop of blood out of him?

 

The door was suddenly pushed open to reveal one of the agents pulling Hongbin inside, whose eyes were covered with a black blindfold, and whose wrists were shackled by huge and robust looking chains.

 

          "Why's he blindfolded?" Hyuk asked the agent as the latter quickly - much too quickly in Hyuk's opinion - approached him with Hongbin in tow.

 

          "It's meant to help keep him calm...you know like what you do with horses...you have them wear blinders to keep them from getting spooked and bolting," the agent explained.

 

          "Okay then...," he continued while escorting Hongbin over to one of the cots that had been placed in the room and making him sit down on top of it, "...the two of you should just make yourselves comfortable on the cot...and you know...get on with it."

 

          "Get on with it?...," Hyuk repeated, shocked at the agents choice of words, "...you make it sound like...something it's not."

 

           "Sorry," the agent said, but didn't sound apologetic at all!

 

When Hyuk didn't move an inch toward the cot on which Hongbin now sat, the agent impatiently gestured for him to get a move on and sit down next to him.

 

          "Come on...we don't have all day," he said, sounding a bit irritated.

 

Hyuk made a serious and conscious effort to get his legs to finally obey and carry him to the spot he didn't really want to be at. But when he finally reached the cot, sat down next to Hongbin, and waited for further guidance, the agent simply sat down on a chair opposite them and remained silent and unhelpful as could be.

 

          "Well, what...I mean...how...do we...do...this then?" Hyuk awkwardly asked, hoping for some helpful suggestions on how to get this whole thing rolling.

 

          "What do you mean? He's a vampire...he should just start sucking your blood...that's what vampires do."

 

           "But...but he's not moving," Hyuk replied after another long moment of silence when it had become clear that Hongbin wasn't even thinking of moving a muscle or flashing his retractable fangs.

 

          "Oi!...," the agent addressed Hongbin, "...why aren't you feeding...shouldn't you be feeling pretty hungry right about now?...There's delicious, fresh blood right next to you...warm blood right there...just pumping through his veins."

 

          "Hey!...," Hyuk complained, abruptly feeling apprehensive, "...stop making it sound...so good...you'll just make him hungrier...and _I'm_ the one who'll have to deal with it if he loses it."

 

          "Yah!...what's wrong with you...why won't you bite him?" the agent burst out when Hongbin still wouldn't move.

 

          "I don't like anyone watching," Hongbin replied, his tone of voice suggesting that the agent's question was stupid because it should have been obvious.

 

          "You don't like anyone watching," the man repeated, "I see...well, then I'll just wait in the next room."

 

          "You can't seriously be thinking of leaving me alone with him?" Hyuk replied, incredulous and completely overwhelmed by the sudden prospect of being left alone in the small room with a hungry and possibly insatiable vampire.

 

          "It's okay, I'll be right in the next room...call me if you need me," the agent answered, obviously not really giving a damn about Hyuk's current state of mind.

 

And just like that, he left Hyuk alone with Hongbin and shut the door behind him. Hyuk found himself wondering if he would even be able to cry for help with sharp, dagger-like fangs stuck in his throat but didn't even get that far with his musings when he suddenly felt Hongbin already creeping closer to him.

 

           "W-wait...I...I'm not ready...yet," Hyuk squealed when Hongbin's head dipped downward aiming for his neck.

 

Before he even had a chance to scoot away or pull his head back out of Hongbin's reach, the vampire had already managed to sink his teeth into him, the sensation of Hongbin's long and sharp fangs penetrating his skin and reaching deep into his neck immediately completely immobilizing him.

 

Hyuk couldn't have moved an inch even if he'd tried a million times. Something about the act of having a vampire's teeth sunk into him was making him unable to control his own body any longer. Completely at Hongbin's mercy, Hyuk could only hope to God that the agent in the next room was at least monitoring their 'practice session' and would intervene if Hongbin fed on him for too long...

 

The seconds slowly ticked by with Hyuk having no idea how long it had actually been going on already...seeing as time simply seemed to slow down to the point where moments were indistinguishable from minutes or hours. And the crazy...worrisome thing...was that after only a short time, Hyuk was starting to feel fucking weird; fucking weird as in fucking good.

 

Whereas in the very beginning he'd only noticed the painful and foreign feeling of Hongbin's teeth breaking his skin and sinking further down into his flesh, and the uncomfortable feeling of his blood being sucked and slowly traveling up through his veins, Hyuk soon started feeling other things.

 

Perhaps it was the way Hongbin's soft lips inadvertently brushed his neck or how his tongue continuously licked at his broken skin as he tried not to let a single drop go to waste...perhaps it was because Hyuk's body had shut down and had helplessly surrendered while experiencing these intense touches and licks...adding a kind of thrill of the forbidden which Hyuk had never experienced before. Having Hongbin suck his blood and lick his skin while emitting soft and sensuous sounding slurping noises all the while, was seriously starting to mess with Hyuk's head and turning him on like crazy.

 

          It felt like a drug...like a fucking rush...like...like...li...

 

Hyuk's ability to form coherent thoughts was quickly fading...along with the blood being continuously extracted from his body.

 

          "Okay, I think it's enough now," the words of the agent who'd reentered the room only just managed to penetrate the thick fog clouding Hyuk's mind.

 

And by the time the agent finally managed to stop Hongbin by using some kind of apparatus, Hyuk slid right into a long overdue and most welcome oblivion.     

 


	27. Can't Let Go

Jaehwan silently walked behind the male agent who was pulling him along by the chain connected to his shackles. Though he couldn't really see anything - enhanced vampire vision didn't really help all too much when he had a black strip of cloth covering his eyes - he could nonetheless already tell that they were getting closer to the room where Wonsik was waiting for him. He'd internalized the unique quality of the other's scent long before he'd been turned. Now, with his superhuman abilities, he could pinpoint his exact location from far away and highly accurately estimate the remaining distance to him.

 

Jaehwan's fangs started to elongate before he could control himself and keep the tips from poking through his lower lip. Tasting his own blood - which wasn't nearly as satisfying as drinking someone else's - Jaehwan quickly flicked his tongue across the remaining liquid in order to get rid of the red stains that might make Wonsik feel uneasy right from the start. Jaehwan wanted to make a good first impression at their very first practice session - well, as good of an impression as one could make while snacking on the other person!

 

Relieved that the holes in his lip seemed to have closed again right after he'd licked the blood off of them, Jaehwan was able to relax a bit again. And he desperately needed to calm down. The past weeks had been anything but a walk in the park. And though his memories from when he'd first awoken as a vampire were extremely hazy, seeing as he'd been in a craze for several days, the overall impressions of restlessness and bloodlust still remained.

 

And the revolting feeling of wanting to sink his teeth into any living creature - preferably human - without worrying about the consequences or about ripping their heads off, was something he hadn't been able to forget for even a second. Having felt ashamed and disgusted with himself even though he'd known it wasn't really his fault and that this urge was simply part of his new genetic makeup, Jaehwan had done his very best for the past weeks to find a way to control his extremely powerful inner demon.

 

And he'd been rather pleased with the way things had steadily progressed and how he'd managed to become calmer with each blood bag he'd consumed. Even the doctor had told him that he thought Jaehwan was finally ready. But now, the very moment in which he was finally drawing nearer to Wonsik again - whom he hadn't seen for a couple of days now - and especially knowing that he would actually be allowed to get closer to him and more intimate with him than he'd ever been (since he'd only ever held his hand), he was immediately starting to lose his cool.

 

Jaehwan could hear the loud and strange rhythm of his new heartbeat, which seemed a hundred times faster and much louder than it had ever been. After he'd been turned, it had been the strangest thing to find out that he actually still had a heart that was beating. Everything about the kind of vampire he'd become after being infected with the man-made virus they'd used for his transformation seemed very different than what Jaehwan had imagined. Except for his glowing, yellow eyes - which actually looked exactly like what he'd thought such creatures' eyes might look like - his retractable fangs, his heightened senses, strength, and speed, nothing matched the folklore he'd been exposed to throughout his life.

 

Neither would he burn to a crisp - or even the tiniest bit - when subjected to the sun's rays; though the other known methods of killing a vampire still applied. Nor had he become a soulless, evil creature that only acted on its instincts, wants, or needs; although he could turn somewhat wild if he forgot to control himself properly. Furthermore, he'd found that he didn't run away screaming at the sight of garlic or crosses - yes, he'd tested it! - and his heart was beating just as wildly and tormenting him just as badly because of his growing feelings for Wonsik, which he hadn't been able to suppress even after his new life had started.

 

Tormenting him, because a) the last thing he wanted to do was end up losing control and hurting him while feeding off of him, and b) because although Wonsik had grasped his hand tightly in return when they'd been about to undergo the procedure, he knew it had only been because he'd needed comfort from someone - from _anyone_ , for that matter.

 

So Jaehwan found himself in an impossible and pathetic situation - a lovestruck vampire overly excited about finally being allowed to bite, lick, and suck on his crush but at the same time getting his 'fangs in a bunch' just thinking about how Wonsik was likely to reject his romantic advances (if he felt brave enough to actually make any) - while the cyborg waiting in the room for him seemed like he couldn't have cared less if Jaehwan lived or died aside from the fact that he needed him as a team member.

 

Jaehwan heard the door creak open, the sound ringing so loudly in his sensitive ears that he cringed - those hinges definitely needed to be oiled. After following the agent inside, Jaehwan was guided over and pushed down onto what felt like a cot - all the while fighting the urge to just jump Wonsik right away and sink his fangs into him.

 

          "Hey...," Jaehwan heard Wonsik's extremely dark and sexy voice, the sound like everything else he perceived with his new set of ears much louder and more resounding than ever, and the simple greeting already enough to have Jaehwan's blood boiling and nearly make him lose control right on the spot.

 

          "H-hey," Jaehwan managed to greet back, his voice strained as fuck as he somehow managed to retain his slippery shred of control.

 

Though he nearly lost it again a split second later when (with his heightened senses) he could smell a delicious whiff of fear rolling off of Wonsik, who undoubtedly had noticed how on edge and unstable Jaehwan really was. And though he'd almost expected the cyborg to express his doubts and ask the agent to call off the scheduled session on grounds of 'bloodthirsty, uncontrollable vampire emergency', Wonsik remained silent even while Jaehwan could feel his body trembling next to him.

 

With an amount of restraint he honestly hadn't known he still possessed in his current state of both excitement and arousal - he could already imagine the soft feel of his crush's skin and the sweet taste of his blood - Jaehwan slowly and cautiously moved closer to Wonsik's neck, clearly hearing the sound of the cyborg's heartbeat as it sped up to many times its normal speed, as well as the fainter but still easily distinguishable sounds of his blood pumping through his heart and veins.

 

But even as his mouth immediately started to water - the tips of his fangs already elongating and dripping with saliva, straining to meet the soft flesh almost within reach - Jaehwan held himself back, resisted the urge with all his strength, and somehow managed to make his fangs retract again. Swallowing hard and keeping the tightest control he'd ever managed - though he had no idea how he was even still capable of it in this situation - Jaehwan gently placed his lips against Wonsik's neck and started to kiss him, wanting to show him that what he was going to do with him meant so much more than just feeding off of him.

 

          Twisted as it may sound, to Jaehwan it meant showing him love...it was personal...and fucking intimate!

 

But instead of appreciating his gentle approach or enjoying his kisses, Wonsik flinched and shrunk back as though he'd been bitten.

 

          "What the fuck?!" he shot at Jaehwan, sounding positively scandalized that Jaehwan had dared to kiss him instead of sucking his blood as he was supposed to, "...What is this to you...a fucking date? Back off and just do what you're supposed to."

 

That was it. In the space of a heartbeat - triggered by Wonsik's hostile words - Jaehwan snapped and finally lost it - the powerful fangs that had been aching to bury themselves in Wonsik's neck for such a long time that it had already started to become unbearably painful finally sinking deeply into the cyborg's neck.

 

Jaehwan could feel his much weaker prey twitch beneath him and his body starting to tremble from the sudden and obviously unexpected power behind Jaehwan's onslaught, groans of pain escaping his throat as he sat completely incapacitated by the deep grip of Jaehwan's long and powerful fangs.

 

Lost in the intoxicating taste and the thrilling feeling of the incredibly delicious nectar filling his mouth - none of the blood he'd sampled had ever tasted this fucking good! - Jaehwan started sucking harder and faster, regardless of the many moans now escaping Wonsik's throat. In a very remote corner of his mind, he realized it was dangerous...realized he was hurting the person he loved...and also realized that he didn't have enough strength to stop.

 

Thankfully - and to Jaehwan's immense shame - someone else finally managed to accomplish what he, himself, hadn't been able to. Jaehwan felt the crippling pain of the extremely powerful, electric charge run through his body, the pain immediately making his teeth retract. The next moment - still unable to function at full power (what the hell kind of electrical charge had that been?!) - he found himself pulled off of Wonsik's neck, hauled back to his feet, and pushed right out the door. 

 

By the time he was on his way back to his own room, he had thankfully recovered from the rush which had gone straight to his head and obliterated any sense of self-control, otherwise, he might have still tried to turn around and attack Wonsik all over again. 

 

Feeling ashamed, depressed, and tormented by what he'd done to the one he loved, Jaehwan found out for the very first time in his existence as a vampire that whatever the myth, lore, and controversies on these creatures were...a vampire could _indeed_ cry. 

 


	28. Useless

Hakyeon took a deep breath and slowly approached Taekwoon, who was shackled and sitting with his back against the dormitory bed's headboard. Things hadn't gone too well with Taekwoon. While the other two vampires had already gotten past the bloodthirsty stage and almost gone back to their normal selves so that they'd been able to start practicing on their cyborg partners instead of living off of blood bags, Taekwoon had made little progress.

 

And since none of them really knew how long it might still take for him to finally find back to himself - well, more or less find back to himself, since being a vampire did tend to make one slightly more aggressive in general - the medical team had allowed him to go back to his own room after taking precautions by handing Hakyeon a very useful little device and teaching him how to use it and keep his vampire roommate under control.

 

When Hakyeon had asked the doctor what could be causing this abnormality in Taekwoon's behavior - he didn't just want to be able to control him, he needed to understand the roots of the problem in order to solve it! - the doctor hadn't been able to offer him anything but an educated guess.

 

Which was that Taekwoon must somehow be enamored with Hakyeon. He'd explained that the deeper the connection and the feelings toward a person, the greater the vampire's need...and the more intense its lust for that someone would become. So the already heightened bloodlust of the just turned vampire - perfectly normal for this stage - was, in Taekwoon's case, heavily intensified by his feelings for Hakyeon.

 

          In short: Taekwoon loved Hakyeon so much that he _literally_ wanted to eat him up!

 

Hakyeon didn't know how to feel about this piece of news...flattered?...touched?...or panicked about being on his lover's menu?

 

But how he felt about it didn't really matter. The important thing was to finally break through to him and get back the Taekwoon he knew and loved...the Taekwoon who, admittedly, could also be extremely intense, wild, and intimidating at times, but who was mostly shy and sweet once he took down the walls behind which he loved to hide.

 

Hakyeon knew they still had a long way to go before they actually reached the point at which he could even think about letting his boyfriend feed on him. But he had high hopes that he was already on the right path. For, the two of them _had_  made some very small progress in the last couple of days.

 

And so he now found himself right back at Taekwoon's bed with the same kind of blood bag he'd finally managed to feed him without any trouble two days before. Before that, it had literally been a struggle for life and death every time Hakyeon had tried to make him suck from the bag instead of his neck. In order to get rid of any kind of temptation, Hakyeon had even worn turtleneck sweaters or shawls whenever he was in his presence. And still, Taekwoon had tried to sink his fangs into him every chance he got...until two days ago when he'd suddenly become very docile and had started to drink from the blood bags without any hesitation and without making trouble for Hakyeon.

 

Not really trusting Taekwoon's show of sincerity - his compliance could be nothing but an act he was putting on, for all Hakyeon knew - he'd continued to cover his neck and be on guard during every second of the feeding process. Today was the first time he'd refrained from covering his precious neck - but not because he finally trusted Taekwoon. It was the opposite: he somehow had to find out if Taekwoon was only messing with him...pretending to get better while waiting for an unguarded moment to finally strike.

 

Armed with the useful little device he'd been given in order to defend himself - and having the full advantage, as Taekwoon didn't know he was in the possession of the effective little weapon now residing in his pocket - Hakyeon took his habitual spot on the bed next to him and moved even closer to him than usual with the blood bag in his hand and without a single piece of armor covering his exposed, tasty neck.

 

Taekwoon waited for Hakyeon to bring the blood bag right up to his lips before even opening his mouth, and very slowly let his teeth elongate until they penetrated the plastic and finally met with the bright-red liquid. And though he sucked unhurriedly and remained perfectly in control - being the perfect model of a good-tempered, patient, and good little vampire - Hakyeon didn't believe him for a second, keeping his guard up and the hand in his pocket securely grasping his only weapon.

 

While he was well aware of the way Taekwoon's gaze kept surreptitiously flying to his exposed neck every so often, he nevertheless felt secure enough in this situation, seeing as he was armed with the little device he'd been given - a device whose power and usefulness had been demonstrated to him every time he'd seen it in action when the doctor had used it on Taekwoon in the early stages after the transformation.

 

So he was completely confident in his ability to stop Taekwoon right in his tracks if he finally decided to attack him after all. And since Taekwoon was furthermore shackled to the bed and unable to use his hands, he didn't think he'd have any problems dealing with him.

 

          And, sadly, that's where he was completely wrong!

 

In the end, a split moment of inattentiveness on Hakyeon's part was all that was needed for the fast and strong vampire to discard his half-eaten blood bag, lunge at Hakyeon, and sink his teeth deeply into his neck in one incredibly swift movement that didn't even give Hakyeon the slightest chance to react and pull his weapon out.

 

Had he known beforehand that he would find himself in such a dangerous predicament - unable to move even a single muscle once those sharp, long fangs had him by the neck - solely because that irresponsible and incompetent son of a bitch of a doctor had neglected to inform him of his inability to actually _use_ his weapon once he was in Taekwoon's grasp, Hakyeon would already have strangled the physician!

 

Shocked and completely overwhelmed by the frightening yet also strangely alluring sensation of feeling Taekwoon's fangs buried deep inside of him and of his own blood leisurely being sucked from his body drop by fucking drop, Hakyeon's consciousness started to become a real mess. As much as his body was unable to move a single muscle, his mind was making up for it, his thoughts all over the place at once as he desperately tried to find a way out of this mess.

 

          _Relax, baby, it's not like I'll drink you dry,_ Hakyeon suddenly heard Taekwoon's voice in his head loud and clear as if he'd actually spoken for real - which Hakyeon knew was technically impossible since he was still busy happily sucking his blood at that very moment.

 

           _What the fuck? What is this?!_ Hakyeon couldn't help but think; it wasn't even a conscious thought, merely an automatic response.

 

          _Beats me,_ Taekwoon thought back at him,  _but I like the way you're panicking...it makes your blood taste even sweeter...hmmm...delicious...just wait till I start fucking you with my teeth still buried inside you._

 

Abruptly, Hakyeon was left with completely contradicting emotions. Listening to Taekwoon's dirty thoughts and the blood-chilling laughter that followed, Hakyeon felt both scared shitless, highly aroused - probably the natural effect of being subjected to a vampire's bite - and ashamed of actually feeling aroused in the first place.

 

And before he could actually decide which of these emotions was worse, Taekwoon - seemingly having become stronger with every drop of Hakyeon's blood he'd consumed - freed himself of the shackles binding and restricting him and started to do exactly what he'd promised...without once pulling his teeth out of Hakyeon and thereby not even giving him the slightest chance to pull out and use his highly effective but now completely useless weapon...

 


	29. Prisoner

Hakyeon was being held captive - a prisoner inside his own body. Before his mind's eye flashed various scenarios of him fighting back and breaking free...but his body wouldn't cooperate. Unable to do anything, Hakyeon experienced the whole incident as if in slow motion and with heightened senses - adrenaline and fear rushing through him...making him sweat, his heart pound, and his muscles clench.

 

Without letting go of Hakyeon's neck, Taekwoon swiftly got rid of his own clothing and basically ripped Hakyeon's off in two swift and powerful movements. And before Hakyeon even knew what hit him, he found himself butt naked and straddling Taekwoon. The vampire's cock - which felt harder, stronger, and even hotter than before the change (though he'd expected the vampire's body temperature to feel cooler) - was now just as deeply buried inside him as his fangs.

 

          "Aaargghh...," Hakyeon groaned, the feeling of simultaneously being penetrated in two different areas of his body almost too much for him to take.

 

But Taekwoon, seemingly driven by his primal predatory instinct, showed no mercy and continued to assault him, his fingertips fiercely digging into Hakyeon's buttocks as he continuously lifted his ass up before slamming it right back down onto his rock-hard cock again.

 

Like a ragdoll - with zero control over his own body - Hakyeon's head lolled back every time Taekwoon slammed him down onto his cock. And with the amount of blood Taekwoon kept sucking from the vein in his neck, he was slowly starting to lose consciousness, his eyes already rolling back into his head.

 

Knowing that he might not survive if he simply let himself slide into oblivion without trying one last time to get through to Taekwoon, Hakyeon used the only weapon he still had - the psychic connection he knew absolutely nothing about but which, for some reason, the two of them seemed to share.

 

          _Please, baby...stop...Y_ _ou'll...kill...me if you don't,_  Hakyeon consciously directed his thoughts at Taekwoon while letting his own mind flood with the memories and emotions of their tender lovemaking before the transformation and projecting them to Taekwoon's - willing Taekwoon to experience it all over again from Hakyeon's perspective and thereby remember his own emotions.

 

When the seconds flew by without any change in Taekwoon's behavior...and as Hakyeon's vision started to blur even more, he finally stopped trying to get through to him, mentally too tired to even care what happened to him any longer...

          He just wanted...to...to...close...his...e-eyes...and...and...s-sleep...

 

          _I love you,_ was Hakyeon's last semi-conscious thought before his eyelids slid shut and he plunged into darkness.

 

 ♦ ♦ ♦

 

Taekwoon was fighting a full-on war against himself - the gentle, loving part of him Hakyeon had finally managed to awaken before he'd lost consciousness struggling against the bloodthirsty demon he'd become after getting a taste of Hakyeon's irresistible, rush-inducing blood.

 

Yet as the many tender memories Hakyeon had flooded him with continued to replay over and over in his head, the demon within gradually started to lose its incredibly strong hold over Taekwoon, finally enabling him to find back to himself and regain the control he'd lost ever since his transformation.

 

Not knowing what the fuck to do and mainly functioning on autopilot, Taekwoon quickly retracted his fangs, lifted Hakyeon's limp body off of him, gently laid him down on the bed, and wrapped a warm blanket around him. By the time he'd finished and sat hovering above the lifeless seeming body of his boyfriend, actual panic started to set in.

 

          What if he hadn't stopped quickly enough...what if he'd taken to much of his blood and killed him? What the fuck had he done?!

 

Taekwoon's body started to shake uncontrollably as fear rolled over him, crippling him. As if his mind were filled with an impenetrable fog, Taekwoon sat frozen and unable to think of anything to do while precious moments slipped by.

 

          _Taek...woon...ah,_ a voice as soft and fading as a whisper carried away on the wind finally managed to reach him through the haze of fear clouding his mind.

 

          Hakyeon's voice...he wasn't dead... _yet_.

 

Finally torn out of his rigor by Hakyeon's quickly fading voice, Taekwoon brought his wrist to his mouth and sank his fangs into it, unceremoniously ripping away strips of his flesh in his haste to get at his own blood. Not caring in the least that he'd bit himself so hard that his blood was practically squirting from his vein and making a 'bloody' mess of the sheets, the floor, and the surrounding walls, Taekwoon quickly lifted Hakyeon and pulled him onto his lap so that his boyfriend's back rested against his chest and brought his wrist up to his lips to feed him.

 

Even in his extremely weakened, almost lifeless state, Hakyeon suddenly started fighting him and tried to pull away, his subconsciousness seemingly rejecting the thought of ingesting the virus-tainted blood of the vampire even if it would save his life. But Hakyeon was, of course, no match for Taekwoon even on a normal day, and especially not with almost all of his blood drained from his body.

 

Taekwoon had no difficulties, whatsoever, in forcing Hakyeon's mouth open and making him drink his blood. And after Hakyeon's initial reaction to the first few drops - his body starting to shake and convulse as if he'd been fed poison - he finally seemed to adjust and calm down; even getting stronger with each sip of Taekwoon's blood. The feeding continued until the two of them actually reached a point at which Hakyeon was greedily clinging onto Taekwoon's wrist with his hands and mouth and sucking the blood from his veins in such a way that Taekwoon had trouble shaking him off or getting him to stop.

 

Truly concerned at this point - when it was becoming more and more apparent that Hakyeon's strength had not only returned to what it had been but seemed to have grown beyond that of a normal cyborg - Taekwoon used every ounce of power he still had after giving away so much of his own blood to finally tear his wrist away and throw Hakyeon off of his lap.

 

Hakyeon, who apparently didn't appreciate this in the slightest, actually growled at him as he turned around to face him...his suddenly bright yellow eyes dangerously flashing before they returned to their icy blue color and finally disappeared beneath closing lids as Hakyeon lost consciousness yet again and fell face down onto the mattress.     

 

 


	30. Silent Exchange

Taekwoon sat at the large dining room table with his head tilted downward, silently staring at his lap. It was the morning after the incident in which he'd lost control and nearly killed Hakyeon - the incident which had undoubtedly left its mark on both of them.

 

After having saved Hakyeon just in time by feeding him his own blood, Taekwoon had wrapped his unconscious but thankfully alive boyfriend in his arms and held him close all night, not even worrying about the fact that Hakyeon's exposed neck was right in front of him. He'd completely 'sobered up'; the realization that he could have forever lost Hakyeon had finally cured him of the overwhelming bloodlust he'd felt up until then. He would never  _ever_ lose control like that again!

 

But as much as this realization had helped him calm down and feel more comfortable in Hakyeon's presence, it couldn't keep a completely horrified Hakyeon - who'd woken up in the arms of the one who'd nearly killed him - from immediately freeing himself from his embrace as if his life depended on it and steer clear of him ever since. Even now, sitting at the breakfast table along with the other members, including the vampires - none of whom were chained up as they wouldn't be doing any feeding practice that day - Hakyeon had decided to forgo his usual spot next to his boyfriend and take a seat opposite Taekwoon (or, in other words: as far away from him as he could) even though it meant sitting right next to another vampire, Hongbin in that case.

 

Ashamed of what he'd done and feeling acutely embarrassed about the fact that his boyfriend was blatantly avoiding him in front of everyone present, Taekwoon was once again lowering his head and avoiding eye contact.

 

          "What the f-...," Hongbin's voice cut the awkward silence, "...what?...how?...when?...when did he...turn back into the crown fairy?"

 

In his mind's eye, Taekwoon could practically see Hongbin's mouth hanging open in a mixture of surprise and amusement. He could feel his cheeks grow hotter by the minute under everyone's scrutiny and actually ended up nervously biting his lower lip, accidentally poking a hole right into it with one of his sharp fangs - being a vampire and all! - and then wincing in the aftermath of his own actions.

 

          "Gwiyeobda (Cute)!" Wonsik suddenly burst out, his voice laced with amusement, making Taekwoon fume and growl inwardly.

 

          _Arghhh, stop making fun of me already! It's not funny...and I'm not CUTE!_

 

_Actually, you_ are _. You're adorable!_

 

Taekwoon's head shot up to meet the owner of the voice that had once again penetrated his mind and read his most private thoughts. But instead of feeling bitter or resentful because of this intrusion, the only thing he could feel was gratitude. Because it seemed that Hakyeon, even though he'd put some distance between them to be on the safe side, didn't hate him or fear him as much as he'd thought. Perhaps he'd kept his distance to make it easier on Taekwoon and not because he didn't want to be near him.

 

          _I'm adorable? Why?_ Taekwoon asked back in his mind while looking over the table at Hakyeon, who was grinning and whose eyes were sparkling with tenderness and amusement.

 

          _You wouldn't ask if you could see yourself,_ Hakyeon replied; and before Taekwoon could even wonder how in hell he'd managed it, his boyfriend actually reflected back a mental image of a vampire who was supposed to be fierce and strong bowing his head and clumsily poking his lower lip with his own fang.

 

Taekwoon burst out laughing...the picture of himself...the whole circumstances simply too funny to ignore. Immediately, Hakyeon joined him...until the two of them were almost doubled over and holding their bellies because they were laughing way too hard and couldn't seem to stop.

 

          "Do any of you get it?...Cause I don't get it...at all," Ravi finally said, seeming puzzled and pouty at the same time, "I call him cute, but instead of looking and smiling at _me_ he's having an enjoyable moment with Hakyeon?"

 

          "Some-one's jea-lous," Hyuk immediately started to tease him in a singsong voice, and Taekwoon finally directed his gaze to Wonsik just in time to see his frown deepen at the maknae's words.

 

          "I'm not jealous," Wonsik growled in reply, "I just wanted his attention...I don't call _everybody_ cute. He could have at least acknowledged my compliment."

 

          "That was a _compliment_?" Taekwoon shot back at exactly the same moment as Jaehwan, who was sitting directly beside Wonsik, spoke in a somewhat sad and low, but still audible voice, "You used to call _me_ cute."

 

Though Taekwoon and Jaehwan had spoken at the same moment, Wonsik's attention was clearly directed at Jaehwan's words even though he hadn't turned to face him and was deliberately looking _anywhere_ else but at Jaehwan.

 

And just like that, the amusement which had hung in the air only a moment before had completely vanished, an awkward silence once again taking its place.

 

          _Well, that crashed quickly...and here I'd thought we could all finally be more relaxed around each other again after the rough couple of weeks we've been through,_ Hakyeon's thoughts drifted toward Taekwoon, who was caught off guard again at first but gradually found himself getting used to this new kind of communication between them; somehow it felt refreshing not to have to spend so much energy to talk and still be able to exchange thoughts.

 

          _I thought so too. But it seems that the two of them have unfinished business between them._

 

          _They do. I think I know what this is about,_ Hakeyon replied,  _since I'm the leader, the doctor updates me regularly on the progress Hongbin and Jaehwan are making or the difficulties they encounter during the practice sessions. Turns out that Jaehwan actually made advances to Wonsik and kissed his neck...can you believe it? So Wonsik apparently lost his temper and asked him if he thought this was a fucking date and told him to just do what he was supposed to do. At which point Jaehwan lost it and viciously attacked him. In the end, he had to be zapped and pulled off of him._

 

_No! Really?_ Taekwoon replied disbelievingly even as Hakyeon was nodding his head at him in affirmation from across the table; then he suddenly realized with a sinking feeling that _he'd_ done the same exact thing: he'd attacked Hakyeon just as viciously.  _I'm so sorry,_ he finally added sincerely while holding Hakyeon's gaze.

 

          _I know...,_ Hakyeon answered, _...It's okay, baby...I'm okay._  

 

          "Erm...excuse me...," Hongbin's voice suddenly interrupted their silent discussion, "...what on _earth_ are the two of you doing? What's with all the glances, nodding, and expressions? You know you could always use actual _words_ to communicate!"

 

          "Yeah, isn't that hilarious? It looks as if they're having a conversation without actually talking. How stupid is that?! Just talk to each other already...or did you develop some kind of secret sign language to discuss things behind our backs?" Wonsik said with the air of making fun of their obvious silliness.

 

          _Uh-oh...we're going to get caught,_ Taekwoon thought at Hakyeon while looking in a completely different direction and smirking,  _let's not make it too obvious and just talk to each other normally unless we're alone or it's urgent. This should stay our little secret._

 

_Okay, baby...although I'll miss not sharing my thoughts with you like this,_ Hakyeon agreed, sending him a smooch before putting up a mental wall again and shutting Taekwoon out.

 

          "Why was Taekwoon smirking...and why is Hakyeon nodding as if they just agreed on something when they're not even looking at each other?" Hyuk asked the other members, suspicion in his voice.

 

Taekwoon couldn't help but grin a second time, just imagining what kind of ideas they would come up with to explain what had just happened and feeling highly amused, because: who in their right minds would ever suspect that they were actually reading each other's minds?!

 

 


	31. Unexpected

Wonsik's gaze surreptitiously followed Jaehwan's progress as the vampire navigated through the obstacle course in the large training room they now used to hone the new skills they'd acquired after transforming.

 

          "That's not good enough, Jaehwan-ah," their training instructor said for the umpteenth time; he'd basically started criticizing Jaehwan ever since his training session had begun that morning, making everyone around feel frustrated and annoyed.

 

At one point, Wonsik just couldn't take it anymore; he was getting sick and tired of hearing the same words over and over again, wondering why the fuck the instructor couldn't simply give up on training Jaehwan already and move on to the next member. It wasn't as though the others were doing any better either; they all needed as much training as they could get in order to get used to the new ways in which their bodies moved.

 

          "Then why can't we just move on to the next person?" Wonsik finally interrupted the instructor, not giving a shit about ramifications; he just wanted to get on with practice instead of having to sit and wait the entire day! "It's not like he's suddenly going to get a new spurt of energy...since he hasn't had any blood in ages."

 

          "And just _whose_ fault is that?" the instructor suddenly counterattacked and every single head except for Jaehwan's abruptly spun toward Wonsik, who could already feel his face turn red from anger.

 

Yes, he'd had a big fucking problem with Jaehwan trying to eat him alive the last time they'd had feeding practice. And yes, he hadn't once tried to encourage Jaehwan - who'd been avoiding him ever since - to get back on the horse so to speak and try feeding off him again. Because 1) he wasn't batshit crazy and 2) it shouldn't have been _his_ responsibility to train him in the first place!

 

So, yes, he was perfectly fine with admitting that he had no interest whatsoever in helping Jaehwan out at the cost of his own neck - thank you very much! - but that was no reason for the instructor to go all bitchy on him and try to put the blame on _him alone_ when it was clear as day that the whole organization which had recruited them didn't know what the fuck it was doing half the time and just kept piling mistake onto fucking mistake and adding tons of neglect. And Wonsik was sick and tired of it!

 

Nonetheless, he knew without a doubt that _anything_ he tried to offer in his defense would just end up blowing up in his own face. Because none of these sons of bitches gave a damn about what he - a mere soldier in their cause - had to say about any of this. So, in the end, he just swallowed his response again and tried hard to rein in his anger, only marginally noticing the gentle and comforting pressure of Hakyeon's hand on his shoulder.

 

Since Wonsik hadn't replied, the instructor soon returned his full attention to his victim, who was now glaring at his torturer so intensely that Wonsik was amazed the man hadn't started running for his life yet. Quite to the contrary, the instructor was staring right back at him with as much determination as ever while openly twiddling with the electrical device used for self-defense against vampires.

 

In the end, Jaehwan became obedient - and pathetic - all over again and Wonsik ended up having to shut his eyes and do his best to drown out the instructor's scolding in order to keep his anger from getting the better of him again.

 

After a long and arduous training day followed by a quick dinner - during which he noticed that Jaehwan didn't touch a single dish even though he was perfectly able to digest normal food and didn't actually _need_ to consume blood in order to survive - Wonsik was just about ready to head back to his room, drop onto his bed, and get some much-needed sleep when the head doctor approached him out of the blue with a summons he found himself unable to refuse.

 

Cursing inside his head at his terribly shitty luck, Wonsik found himself on his way to one of the small rooms used for feeding practice. Apparently, the head doctor had been closely monitoring their training sessions as well and had felt the need to intervene and actually order Wonsik to proceed with their feeding practice after witnessing how weak Jaehwan had turned after not having consumed blood - or anything else for that matter.

 

So while everyone else got to rest, Wonsik once again found himself on his way to the slaughterhouse - at least, that's how he saw it. And who could really blame him after what had happened the last time?! 

 

And so _what_ if he'd triggered the vampire's attack by having behaved aggressively toward him? He'd had just as much right as anyone would have had to rage at Jaehwan for kissing him when it was more than obvious that it was fucking inappropriate! 

 

And what did his hyung even think they were to each other? There was nothing...absolutely _nothing_...between them. So _what_ if they'd gotten along well at first and talked for hours and hours? So _what_ if he'd told Jaehwan he was cute on one or two occasions? So _what_ if they'd held hands to comfort each other? That didn't mean anything. And it definitely didn't mean what Jaehwan seemed to think it meant!

 

Seriously, was he going to dissect every single one of Wonsik's words or actions and immediately read romance into it when it was nothing more than bromance at best? And what was wrong with a good bromance? Why couldn't Jaehwan be content with such a friendship instead of trying to actually friggin kiss him?

 

And why did he need to put Wonsik into this kind of position in the first place, making his body react every time at the mere thought of those lips coming nearer and caressing his skin when Wonsik didn't need these kinds of feelings...didn't want these kinds of responses...responses which were inconvenient as hell and just plain wrong!

 

Why even try to do this sort of thing to a man who was straight as fuck and had never even looked at other men in _that_ way before?! Even the mere fact that he was so damn aware of looking at Jaehwan in a different way than he should, was already upsetting enough, god damn it!

 

Wonsik heaved a drawn-out sigh before finally opening the door and stepping into the room in which Jaehwan sat waiting for his arrival, the vampire once again chained up and blindfolded. The doctor assigned to assist and watch over the two of them simply greeted Wonsik with a nod of his head and remained seated at the little desk in the corner.

 

Wordlessly, Wonsik walked over to the cot Jaehwan was perched on and sat down right beside him, even though he really felt like running away. But he already knew he had no choice, no say in this. So why even try to fight the inevitable?

 

When Jaehwan simply sat immobile - showing no interest in him whatsoever - Wonsik finally confronted him. He didn't want to be stuck there all night, after all. It was high time to get it over with and finally go to bed.

 

          "Well?...I'm here...how long are you going to make me wait? You can start already."

 

Instead, Jaehwan actually turned his head away from Wonsik, completely dismissing him.

 

           "What? I'm not good enough for you now?" Wonsik burst out angrily.

 

Although he knew deep down that his behavior didn't make any sense and that he shouldn't have reacted in such a ridiculous way, Wonsik, funnily enough, suddenly felt triggered by Jaehwan's rejection. Here he was willing to sacrifice not only his time but his precious neck, as well, and Jaehwan was actually rejecting him?! Who the hell was Jaehwan to suddenly not want his blood anymore?

 

But what was getting to him even more, was the fact that Jaehwan was obviously trying to use reverse psychology on him and that he was actually succeeding. Because even while Wonsik knew what Jaehwan was up to, he was still unable to just ignore him, get up, and leave. He wasn't going to stand for this. He'd never been rejected before...and he wasn't going to be rejected now!

 

So, instead of just letting Jaehwan have his way, Wonsik found himself actually scooting closer to the vampire until there was no more space left between them. Seeing that Jaehwan was still resisting, Wonsik finally bit his own forefinger to draw blood and lure him into biting him - all the while secretly asking himself if he was completely mental doing all this just because his pride had been hurt by a fucking vampire!

 

The very moment Wonsik drew blood with his own teeth, he could already see the change on Jaehwan's face...an expression between hunger and torment...his nostrils flaring and his teeth automatically elongating even while he tried to pull back further...seemingly fighting his own responses to smelling the blood he so lusted after.

 

          "Stop fighting already...it's obvious that you want me," Wonsik whispered seductively under his breath, feeling smug and elated at having proved how mouthwatering Jaehwan found him in reality; pha...so much for pretending that he didn't want him...so much for trying to reject him...as if!

 

Wonsik used Jaehwan's moment of internal struggle to bring his bleeding finger right up to the other's mouth.

 

          Game over for Jaehwan.

 

Once Wonsik's blood touched Jaehwan's lips, the vampire seemed unable to resist even a moment longer. Wonsik was completely caught off guard when Jaehwan's tongue suddenly shot out from between his parted lips to pleasurably and almost sensually lick the blood off his finger.

 

          "Hhhhmmmm...," a deep, resonating sound made its way up Jaehwan's throat as he very obviously relished the taste of Wonsik's blood right before swallowing the whole length of Wonsik's finger and starting to suck on it in earnest.

 

          _Oh shit...oh shit...what the fuck?!_ Wonsik started to panic; not because a vampire had just swallowed his whole finger...but because he could actually feel himself getting hard.

 

Belatedly, Wonsik tried to get his finger back and pull away again, having completely changed his mind about proving his point once he'd realized how dangerous the situation was becoming - and with dangerous he by no means meant hazardous to his life!

 

But now that Jaehwan had taken the bate and started to feed off of him, it was clear that he wasn't going to let go of him any time soon. But instead of continuing to suck his blood like Wonsik would have expected him to do, Jaehwan actually let go of his finger, made the best possible use of his bound hands and vampire strength to pull him onto his lap so swiftly that Wonsik didn't even have a chance to resist, and suddenly started kissing him.

 

Completely in a daze, Wonsik was powerless against Jaehwan's attack, the vampire's tongue wreaking havoc on him as it completely and utterly invaded Wonsik's mouth, his thoughts, and his peace of mind...and made his now continuously growing erection strain painfully against his tight pants.

 

          "Arghh...aaahh...," Wonsik started to moan, his deep, rumbling voice escaping Jaehwan's mouth and filling the room even as he struggled to pull away from the vampire, finally having come back to his senses.

 

But the more Wonsik struggled, the more powerfully Jaehwan pulled him back against his own body, making Wonsik's already painful hard-on worse from the friction with every single move. And by the time the doctor finally intervened - separating them and telling them off for making out instead of diligently practicing feeding! - Wonsik was a complete mess. 

 

Trying hard not to think about what had happened - in fact, trying not to think _at all_ if he could somehow manage it! - Wonsik headed back to his room on wobbly legs and with a heart that simply refused to calm down.


	32. Reversed

Jaehwan sat on the edge of the cot, quietly humming to himself while excitedly kicking his legs because he simply couldn't stay still. Even before the transformation, he'd never been able to keep his body from constantly moving - always being a bit hyperactive - but that day it was ten times worse, his nervous energy was practically through the roof.

 

The reason: It was only one day after he'd surprised Wonsik with his attack on his soft lips - and tongue! - and he was already on his way back to the practice room. And though he knew Wonsik would have avoided another practice session if he could have, Jaehwan was thrilled about getting to be with him again so soon. New day new luck, he thought happily as he heard Wonsik's footsteps approach the room.

 

This time, he'd make an even deeper impression on him. He'd purposefully and quite successfully stopped himself from actually biting and feeding off of Wonsik the previous day because he'd wanted to show him the human part of him that hungered for his kiss instead of the beast lusting after his blood. At least once, he'd wanted to make a point...wanted to show Wonsik how he truly felt about him...how passionately he wanted to be with him.

 

Now that he'd accomplished what he'd set out to do, he was finally able to move on with their practice without harboring ulterior motives. He wasn't even going to do anything other than feed off of him that day. He'd made his point, now he was going to wait for Wonsik to come to him! And that he eventually  _would,_  was something Jaehwan believed without a doubt. The fact that the other had actually gotten hard after he'd kissed him hadn't gotten past Jaehwan.

 

While he was still somewhat lost in his inner musings, the door suddenly opened to reveal a very nervous looking Wonsik - though Jaehwan could tell how hard he was actually trying to hide his insecurity and act cool and unaffected. When Wonsik's eyes finally fully settled on him, they instantly became as round and large as saucers. Obviously speechless, he continued to silently stare at Jaehwan, who just happened to be sitting on the cot _unchained_ and _without a blindfold_.

 

          "W-what's the meaning of this?" Wonsik asked the doctor who'd just followed him into the room upon finally finding his voice again, which albeit remained somewhat shaky, "Why are there...no chains? And why's the blindfold missing too?"

 

          "Ah, _that_. Well...," the doctor started and Jaehwan could immediately see a look of resignation steal over Wonsik's face; it was clear that the doctor had already concocted the perfect explanation and wasn't even going to consider Wonsik's opinion, "...since he didn't attack you yesterday...well, he did kind of, didn't he?...but I mean, he didn't attack you in the sense of biting you...and he even stopped sucking your blood so that he could...could...ahem...kiss you (at these words, Jaehwan could actually see Wonsik flinch)...so I really believe he has himself under control now...and if this session is successful then you can even take him back to the room with you again."

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Wonsik gave up on trying to argue with the doctor, sighed heavily, and slowly walked over to the cot already occupied by a very smug-looking Jaehwan while cursing his terribly bad luck with every single step. Why, god damn it, were things steadily getting worse and worse? Why the hell, he asked himself for what felt like the thousandth time since the previous day, couldn't he for once catch a lucky break?! It had already been hard enough for him to dredge up the courage to come back to the practice room in the first place.

 

Ever since the previous session, Wonsik had been in constant denial about what had happened that day. At first - in the safety of his own room - he'd tried and finally succeeded in finding a reasonable explanation as to why his body had reacted in the extreme and embarrassing way in which it had. And he'd started to feel loads better after successfully convincing himself that he must have simply reacted to some kind of vampire enthrallment...a power these creatures must surely possess over the one whose blood they were taking. Something about the act must be naturally compelling to its victim.

 

But the small amount of comfort he'd managed to find in this explanation didn't last all too long as he suddenly - and all too vividly - remembered what had happened after Jaehwan had stopped sucking on his finger. After he realized that the arousal he'd felt should have stopped right then and there and not continued and even grown unbearably stronger when he'd felt Jaehwan's lips against his own...and his warm, wet, and slick tongue invading his mouth.

 

Just thinking about it, Wonsik had once again found himself in danger of growing hard and had actually needed to take an icy cold shower, refusing to go down that same road yet again and just let his body react to the memory of Jaehwan's hot and deeply intimate kiss.

 

And now, after already having spent a whole sleepless night in utter turmoil because he just hadn't been able to explain away the unhealthy attraction he seemed unable to shake or control, Wonsik not only had to face him again but also saw himself suddenly confronted with the fact that Jaehwan was neither blindfolded (which wouldn't have been too bad by itself) nor chained up (which was fucking terrifying!).

 

Feeling very much like cattle on the way to be slaughtered - even though it wasn't Jaehwan's _bite_ he was most afraid of! - Wonsik somehow made it across the room on legs that felt as wobbly and unstable as jello and finally sat down next to Jaehwan without looking at him even once. With his heart drumming loudly in his ears, Wonsik didn't even hear Jaehwan scoot closer to him - or perhaps the vampire simply hadn't made the slightest sound while moving.

 

Wonsik pinched his eyes shut - every inch of his body tense - and waited for Jaehwan to do even more damage to him than before...whether it was with his sharp and pointy fangs or his every bit as dangerous mouth.

 

Even though all his senses were heightened as he waited for Jaehwan to make the first move, Wonsik still flinched when Jaehwan finally lifted him right onto his lap without prior warning.

 

          "Just sit on my lap for a little bit...it's more comfortable this way," Jaehwan practically purred in his ear while one of his arms snuck around his waist to hold him; Wonsik could feel the gentle pressure of Jaehwan's hand against the small of his back.

 

The other hand leisurely moved to Wonsik's neck, softly grabbed his nape, and angled his head slightly to the side so that Jaehwan could get at the artery better. Wonsik's eyes remained tightly shut even as he felt Jaehwan's warm breath against his skin. He needed to go through with this one way or another...so what would putting up a fight even accomplish?! It was best to just let him get on with it so that it would be over faster and Wonsik could finally return to his room and lick his wounds, so to speak.

 

Therefore, he held perfectly still even as Jaehwan's fangs finally penetrated his skin and sunk deeply into his neck. And though it was quite the shock all over again to experience the vampire's bite and feel his blood being sucked from his body, he suddenly realized that it didn't feel as bad as it had before. Unlike during the first time, when Jaehwan had lost control and acted like a ferocious animal, his bite this time around felt neither maleficent nor really painful. Rather than experiencing actual pain, he felt more of a slight sensation of discomfort which came from the way his blood was slowly traveling up through his veins while being sucked from his artery.

 

But oddly enough, even his feeling of discomfort eventually evaporated, leaving only a tingly and lightheaded feeling. And before long, Wonsik found himself relaxing beneath Jaehwan's mouth and his body finally starting to react to the somewhat pleasurable feeling of the vampire's tongue leisurely roaming across his flesh to lap up the drops of blood that had escaped Jaehwan's mouth.

 

          "Aaaahhh...," soft sounds suddenly spilled from Wonsik's throat without him even realizing he'd made a sound - actually moaned - in response to being fed off.

 

Completely in a daze - his mind growing foggier and his already prominent erection gradually growing painful with the lust he was experiencing - Wonsik felt like he'd been slapped in the face with a bucket of cold ice when Jaehwan abruptly stopped, lifted him off of his lap, and simply left the room altogether...leaving Wonsik behind with a hard-on he couldn't ignore and a feeling of emptiness he couldn't explain.  

 


	33. Taken 1

It was somewhere between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning, and Hyuk was quietly lying in bed still fully awake and unable to find any rest. And no matter how many times he closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, he only ever ended up visiting a highly dangerous and forbidden place in his mind: memories he'd tried to bury but still hadn't managed to. He felt like a little boy sneaking off in the middle of the night to catch a forbidden glimpse of the presents underneath the Christmas tree...curious to the point of not knowing what to do with himself but hesitating to actually open the door and satisfy his curiosity because he knew he was already being too naughty just thinking about doing something he clearly knew he shouldn't.

 

He knew he shouldn't open that door, shouldn't revisit and analyze the memories of the few times he'd spent with Hongbin while letting him feed on him. But after fighting an internal battle for days already, Hyuk simply couldn't resist anymore. Up until that night, he'd done a fairly good job at completely repressing what it had felt like to be fed on by Hongbin. But now, the sexual tension that kept building inside of him and increasing with every single feeding practice - during which he found himself extremely vulnerable and turned on like crazy - seemed to have started to punch holes through his defenses.

 

In the end - from the very moment Hyuk even started thinking about revisiting the memories of the last practice session that night - it was only a matter of minutes before he completely succumbed...and finally opened the forbidden door!

 

Hyuk carefully listened into the surrounding darkness of his room, the room he momentarily shared with his fellow cyborg and the two vampires, since both of them had been allowed to go back to their rooms now that they had themselves under control. Satisfied with the steady breathing sounds coming from his sleeping roommates, Hyuk closed his eyes as he snuck his hands underneath his cover. After quickly pulling his t-shirt up and pushing his briefs slightly down his legs, Hyuk started touching himself.

 

Imagining that they weren't _his_ hands but Hongbin's instead, he eagerly started sliding one of them up and down his already hard and throbbing cock while the other teased his perked up nipples. Hyuk's breathing sped up along with the intensified movements of his hands as he dove deeper into his fantasy. Completely unaware of being louder than he ought to be with too many other people in the room - even if they were currently sleeping - Hyuk continued to chase his release and the fantasy of all the things Hongbin was doing to his body and his dwindling sanity.

 

          "What are you doing?"

 

Hyuk almost jumped right out of his skin as a deep and all too familiar voice suddenly interrupted what would otherwise have been his moment of release if he hadn't just been scared to death by the appearance of the very one he was thinking about while fucking himself.

 

In response to Hongbin's question, Hyuk immediately stopped touching himself and pulled his briefs back up and his t-shirt back down underneath the sheets while rolling around on the bed, trying to disguise his movements as those made when changing sleeping positions. But the knowing look in Hongbin's eyes, as well as the fact that his nostrils were flaring while taking in the unmistakable scent of Hyuk's arousal that hung in the air between them, already made him guess that he hadn't managed to fool him one bit!

 

Furthermore, the corners of Hongbin's mouth suddenly turned up in amusement, only confirming his suspicion: Hongbin knew _exactly_ what he'd been doing!

 

          "What's it to you? Just go back to bed!" Hyuk growled in Hongbin's direction, feeling slightly embarrassed and more than just a little annoyed - did he really have to show up just when Hyuk was on the verge of coming?!

 

Having been interrupted at such a crucial moment - feeling unsatisfied and as though Hongbin was actually mocking him with his stupid grin - Hyuk suddenly turned grumpy as hell! And the only small consolation left to him at that point was that at least Hongbin had no way of knowing who exactly he'd been thinking of while pleasuring himself.

 

          "I can't sleep," Hongbin simply answered, seeming completely unperturbed by Hyuk's rude reply.

 

And before Hyuk knew it, he found himself being slightly pushed over on his own friggin' bed to make room for Hongbin!

 

          "What the _hell_ are you doing?" Hyuk burst out, enraged by this sudden encroachment of his space...and in such a situation as this!

 

          "Will you keep it down? Others are actually trying to sleep," Jaehwan mumbled from his bed, seeming half-asleep even as he scolded him for being too loud; not a moment later, he already appeared to have gone back to sleep.

 

          "Get off," Hyuk grumbled at Hongbin in a muffled voice, more conscious now of not making too much noise.

 

But Hongbin didn't move a muscle.

 

          "Hyuk-ah...," Hongbin said, a pleading sound to his voice, "...I'm hungry."

 

          "What?" Hyuk shot back, feeling like he'd just been hit by a truck; there was no way he'd stay in control if Hongbin sank his fangs into him now; not after just having fantasized about him in the wild way that he had, "You ate before...and you don't even really _need_  blood...you just feel like snacking!"

 

At least Hongbin had the decency to admit it and look the tiniest bit ashamed of himself - not much though! But not even the fact that Hyuk had just called him out on it could change his determination to get what he wanted.

 

          "Come on...just a _little_ taste," Hongbin urged him while playfully nudging his shoulder with his own, "Come on..."

 

          "No," Hyuk remained resolute.

 

          "It's _your_ fault you know...," Hongbin shot back, visibly sulking now.

 

          "How can it be _my_ fault? Am I _that_ irresistible?" Hyuk jokingly asked.

 

          "Yes," Hongbin answered in a completely serious tone, making Hyuk's stomach lurch, "You just made the same breathing noises that you always make when I'm feeding on you. My memory was triggered and I...I got hungry again...so it _is_ your fault and you should take responsibility."

 

Hyuk couldn't even find any words to reply to that. What was he going to say? That he didn't make the exact same sounds he'd just made whenever Hongbin sucked his blood? - Lie!

 

          "Please...," Hongbin urged him, his voice the slightest bit whiny, which Hyuk immediately knew was on purpose; he was trying to soften him up.

 

          "No," Hyuk said once again, though his voice sounded less resolute even to his own ears; against his will, he was already starting to imagine the feeling of Hongbin's teeth buried inside his flesh - a familiar ache immediately returning to his groin after he'd only just managed to calm himself down a bit again.

 

          _Fuck!_

 

          "It's a bad idea...I won't be able to control myself," Hyuk tried to reason with Hongbin, though he could tell the other wasn't even listening to him anymore; seemingly having noticed the crack in Hyuk's resolve, Hongbin was already pulling him onto his lap and getting ready to sink his teeth into him.

 

          "You're supposed to show some restraint...you're supposed to be able to control your urges or they wouldn't have let you back into the room...what you're doing now is wrong...," Hyuk tried for the last time to talk some sense into him, but his own voice lacked conviction; because as much as he  _didn't_ want this...he really wanted this!

 

Hyuk let Hongbin position him comfortably on his lap and held perfectly still as the vampire's teeth finally sank deep down into his neck - though he couldn't keep a low, desperate moan from escaping at the moment of being penetrated. 

 

Giving up all thoughts of resisting - in truth, he'd already lost the fight against himself when Hongbin had admitted he was irresistible - Hyuk even unconsciously starting grinding his pelvis against Hongbin's as the latter started sucking his blood. And though there was no doubt in his mind that he'd end up losing control completely and sexually molesting Hongbin - who was simply hungry but would end up getting more in return for feeding on him than he'd bargained for - Hyuk didn't even try to restrain himself. 

 

He finally needed to act on the extreme arousal he kept feeling...finally needed to bury himself right up to his testicles in a writhing, moaning, whimpering Hongbin...finally needed to chase his release...  _  
_

 


	34. Taken 2

Hongbin sighed softly as Hyuk squirmed around on his lap and the maknae's warm and sweet blood slowly filled his mouth, feeling satisfied for the first time in many hours. But contrary to what Hyuk probably believed, the sigh of relief he simply couldn't hold back anymore didn't stem from satisfying his appetite for the younger one's blood, but from stilling his hunger for something else entirely: the maknae's reaction.

 

He'd already noticed it at the very beginning - the moment when he'd sunk his teeth into Hyuk for the very first time. The maknae's reaction hadn't been something he'd expected at all! He'd expected him to feel pain, panic, fear. But Hyuk's body had responded in a completely different manner.

 

And Hongbin, who wasn't a fool, after all, had immediately been able to tell that what Hyuk felt when being fed on was actually intense sexual stimulation - though, why in hell the maknae would feel this way was a complete mystery to him. Because although he could imagine vampires to naturally have a kind of thrall over whomever they bit and that their bite might feel stimulating to a certain degree, Hyuk's reaction seemed excessive. But perhaps it simply differed...perhaps the response was just as unique as the individual who was being fed on.

 

And while he wasn't at all sure why Hyuk's behavior seemed so extreme every single time, there was one thing he was absolutely certain of: that _he_ , in turn, had started to get addicted to the maknae's reactions...

 

...to the way Hyuk's breathing immediately intensified...

...to the way his hands unconsciously fisted and desperately clutched at Hongbin's shirt...

...to the way his heartbeat sped up and drummed loudly in Hongbin's ears...

...to the way the blood practically rushed through Hyuk's veins to spill into Hongbin's mouth...

...to the way the maknae squirmed in his arms or on his lap while obviously growing hard...

...to the way soft moans of pleasure kept falling from the maknae's mouth...

 

...each and every one of these extreme responses making Hongbin want to do things to him he hadn't even contemplated before.

 

Before they'd transformed and started the feeding practices, Hyuk and he hadn't been more than roommates. And although they'd gotten along fine, they hadn't really talked or spent that much time with each other (just the two of them). They hadn't been friends nor brothers...in fact, they hadn't been close in any way. But after Hongbin had gotten a taste of the maknae's blood, and more importantly, of his extremely sensual reactions, he'd all too soon started to feel like a drug addict - always impatiently waiting, even desperately hungering for that moment when he made the maknae go out of his mind with lust and felt his own body respond in turn.

 

Hongbin didn't know what it was that had started between them. It was certainly different than any relationship he'd ever had or had ever imagined having. There was no friendship or brotherly affection between them...only lust. And he had no idea where any of this would lead, if it would turn out to be destructive as fuck to him or Hyuk, to both of them, or even to the entire team. And he'd never guessed that he'd ever end up feeling lust to the extent of not even caring that he'd lost all common sense and was letting the demonic side of him dictate his actions. Because what he was doing...what the two of them were doing to each other...couldn't really be considered healthy behavior! And yet, he suddenly found himself unwilling and unable to stop.

 

Hongbin leisurely slid his tongue across Hyuk's heated skin while continuing to suck on his neck, a smile of satisfaction forming the very next moment as he felt how close Hyuk actually was to losing control over himself. He could feel the maknae's sexual aggression growing inside of him and nearly reaching the boiling point.

 

Hongbin wasn't stupid. He hadn't just slid onto the bed next to Hyuk not knowing what would happen if he started feeding on him right then and there. He also hadn't come just to suck his blood either. He'd wanted to feel Hyuk's responses...had lain in bed already aroused just thinking about how the maknae would act when he once again buried his teeth in his neck. He'd come fully prepared for anything the maknae would try to do in order to finally sate his growing need.

 

But what Hyuk seemed completely unaware of was that Hongbin didn't plan to let him take control in the slightest! Hongbin could tell that the younger thought he actually had a chance to overpower him. And who knows, perhaps he could have come out on top under normal circumstances. As the tallest among them, and the one with the thickest shoulders and thighs, Hyuk had already been the strongest even before their transformation. And since his strength had been greatly enhanced by the fact that he'd been turned into a cyborg, he could probably easily have kept up with or even overpowered Hongbin.

 

          But not when Hongbin had just ingested and grown stronger from his blood!

 

Feeling the younger repeatedly grind his erection against him, and instinctively sensing that Hyuk was about to try and get into his pajamas, Hongbin decided to surprise him and make the first move instead. Not that he normally would have minded being taken by someone younger and physically larger than him, but in this case he wasn't even nearly satisfied with the reactions he'd gotten out of Hyuk so far and was dying to hear him moan louder. So if anyone was to be taken, it had to be the maknae...

 

...so that Hongbin could enjoy more of his helpless moans...and seeing him utterly weak with longing and pleasure...

 

Hongbin felt the change in Hyuk a split moment before the maknae tried to make the first move. Before Hyuk could do anything, Hongbin already had both of his wrists in his grasp, holding them securely between their bodies. And since Hongbin hadn't let go of the maknae's neck in the slightest, his teeth still buried deep in his body, Hyuk writhed in vain, unable to do anything to try and change their positions.

 

          "If you give in to me...," Hongbin whispered after pulling his fangs out just enough to enable him to talk, "...I swear I'll give you what you need."

 

Hongbin could hear the maknae's heartbeat speed up drastically after hearing those words.

 

          "And what do you think I need?" Hyuk suddenly whispered back, his voice breathless from having struggled earlier, though he now sat completely still and seemed compliant.

 

Hongbin couldn't help the smug smile that tugged on his lips, knowing that he'd already won.

 

          "Here...I'll show you," Hongbin simply replied, bringing his free hand right up to Hyuk's mouth and offering two of his fingers, "Suck on them."

 

Hyuk hesitated for a moment, but then obediently opened his mouth and started sucking on Hongbin's fore- and middle finger. When they'd been sufficiently lathered, Hongbin pulled his fingers back out of Hyuk's mouth and quickly snuck them beneath the maknae's pajama pants and right into his briefs.

 

A surprised gasp fell from Hyuk's mouth and his bottom suddenly jerked when the tip of one of Hongbin's wet fingers started circling his entrance. Not at all bothered by Hyuk's squirms, Hongbin quickly pushed the tip of his forefinger into the maknae's hole, waited a bit until he'd gotten used to the feeling, and finally pushed it in all the way.

 

          "Do you like it?" Hongbin asked, twirling his finger around in Hyuk's hole and teasing his insides while enjoying the breathless moans he got in response - which soon spurred him on to add the second finger and thus turn Hyuk into a complete and helpless mess.

 

Loving every single moment of Hyuk's responses, continuously talking dirty to him while sucking his blood and teasing him with his nimble fingers up his ass, Hongbin was thoroughly enjoying himself...and was completely oblivious to the person who snuck up on the two of them with a certain safety device in their hands.

 

And before Hongbin could react or even start to feel embarrassed about their private little moment not having been all that private after all (which he would have already guessed if he hadn't been completely consumed with thoughts of the maknae), a powerful electrical charge shot through his body. Before he lost consciousness, he only just managed to hear Jaehwan's words.

 

          "Ya, do this somewhere else!"     


	35. Out of Time

Jaehwan felt beyond tired. The six of them had been training hard all day already and his energy was seriously depleted. A few days had gone by now since the last time he'd fed on Wonsik, and he finally seemed to have managed to get more of Wonsik's attention. Instead of trying to avoid his company as he'd done before the last feeding practice, Wonsik seemed to be actively seeking him out now, finding little excuses to be near him throughout the day - probably thinking that Jaehwan wasn't going to notice the change.

 

          But Jaehwan had definitely noticed!

 

And how could he _not_ have when his world kept revolving around a certain person. When he kept thinking about him...kept having unwelcome (or possibly welcome) dreams about him!

 

He'd noticed, alright. And he was thrilled by the sudden change in Wonsik - though he was trying his best not to show it and to pretend the other didn't exist. Oh, he was definitely going to acknowledge his presence...when the two of them finally had a moment to be alone - whenever that might be!

 

Though, ever since that morning, he was beginning to feel hopeful about getting his chance before too long. As soon as he'd gotten up, Jaehwan had headed straight over to the landlord's office to ask him to provide another room - any other room! - so that he wouldn't have to get through another night of having to endure Hyuk's death stare. The maknae had practically eaten him alive with his gaze after Jaehwan had zapped Hongbin for blatantly fingering the maknae in the room shared with two other members - the nerve, honestly!

 

So, since he hadn't looked forward in the least to either witnessing a repeat of that night's events or to turning into Hyuk and Hongbin's number one target for revenge, Jaehwan had tried to resolve the issue by finding a new room for the two lovebirds - or whatever the hell they were to each other! Honestly, he couldn't even imagine this pairing!

 

And to his utmost relief, the landlord had assured him that there were other rooms available and that it shouldn't be a problem to relocate the two youngest. The only question remaining was whether or not it was possible for them to move that same day or if the room needed to be prepared first. So all Jaehwan had to do was wait a bit longer.

 

          "Alright, boys, gather around," the training instructor suddenly disrupted Jaehwan's train of thought.

 

Following the instructor and the other members over to the corner of the room, where thick gymnastics mats were placed against each other to create a larger platform, Jaehwan felt relieved that the training session was finally over and they would soon conclude it with the usual talk about the members' progress or suggestions for improvement.

 

But instead of giving the standard speech about how they weren't running at full speed, how they still hadn't quite managed to improve their evasive maneuvers, or how they desperately needed to improve their teamwork, the instructor surprised them all with something Jaehwan had not expected to hear at that point.

 

          "I have something important to tell you all...," he started, his voice setting such a serious tone that Jaehwan felt the blood freeze in his veins, a terrible foreboding suddenly coming over him, "...I _know_ that you've tried hard...I also _know_ that you're not even nearly ready...But knowing this doesn't change anything...We've run out of time."

 

          "What does that mean, 'We've run out of time'?" Hakyeon demanded clarification, his voice sounding strained.

 

The large training room, which was usually filled with their loud, echoing voices during this time of day, was deadly quiet as every single member waited for the instructor's reply.

 

          "It means exactly what it sounds like...Time's up...the d-day you've been training for has arrived earlier than any of us expected...whether you're ready or not!"

 

          "I don't understand...," Hakyeon replied while everyone else remained lost in silence, "...I thought there was no specific d-day. No one ever mentioned that we had to be ready at a specific time...You're saying it arrived earlier than you expected...I didn't even know you were expecting anything! Why didn't you at least tell us that our training time could be this limited...I didn't even imagine us fighting until _years_ from now! And suddenly you bring this apocalyptic shit about our time being up?!"

 

The room was once again quiet for a long moment before the instructor responded.

 

          "You're right...we should have told you how swiftly things could become this serious...I guess there's...a lot of things...we didn't handle very well...I'm sorry."

 

Though no one said a word, Jaehwan could still hear 'I'm sorry' reverberating throughout the room as though actually repeatedly spoken aloud. He was sure it was on everyone else's mind as well. 'I'm sorry'...'I'm sorry'...'I'm sorry' - what a ludicrously inadequate apology for screwing with so many lives when all any of these bastards had really needed to do was to be honest with them from the very beginning instead of continuously feeding them only the tiniest crumbs of information when it suited them best!

 

Then again, none of it even mattered! Neither his anger and outrage at suddenly being presented with faits accomplis nor the sudden feeling of helplessness that derived from knowing how hopeless their situation really was - from knowing they would have to take the fight to an enemy they weren't even remotely ready to face, let alone go up against. Because at the end of the day it really only came down to one thing...to the only thing that mattered:

 

          They had to at least _try_. For the sake of the people they loved and needed to protect!

 

So getting angry and feeling sorry for themselves wasn't going to accomplish a damn thing!

 

          "Keep your crappy apology and just tell us what changed...why it's suddenly so urgent that we do this _right now_ instead of when we're actually ready!" Hakyeon said, obviously burning with righteous anger, his tone harsh and unforgiving.

 

And without even needing to take a closer look at him or ask him why this anger was burning so furiously inside him, Jaehwan already knew that what was firing him up so intensely wasn't the fear for his own life, but for those of his team members. Even now, before thinking of himself, he was once again thinking about others first...just like Jaehwan had noticed him do on countless occasions but had never really appreciated that much or thanked him for. 

 

And suddenly, it had never been clearer to him than in that very moment: why it _had_ to be Hakyeon...why _he_ and _only he_ could be their rightful leader...someone whom he would trust and follow anywhere on the planet and to the end of the galaxy if need be.

 

And judging from the look on each and every fellow member's face, this same truth had just dawned on the others as well. Because _now_ was the right time...the _only_ time...to cast away doubt...to trust and believe in each other and in the leader who _had_ and always _would_ try his very best for all of them, for their team, and for the mission they desperately needed to accomplish.

 

          Now was the time to finally stand together as a team...to fight together...to face whatever was written in the stars for them...together.

 

 


	36. The Eve Part 1

Wonsik followed Jaehwan into the room and quickly closed the door behind the two of them, feeling both excited and apprehensive at the same time. Ever since the landlord had joined them in the main dining room to inform them that the extra room was ready for the two youngest to use until they started their mission the following day, Wonsik's stomach had started acting up.

 

          He felt as if he'd swallowed hundreds of butterflies all at once!

 

And ever since Wonsik and Jaehwan had left the dining room together and started to climb up the long staircase leading up to their room, a fierce battle had raged inside of him...a battle whose outcome had been decided the moment Wonsik had watched Jaehwan walk past the threshold into their room. Because at that moment he knew: there was no way he could continue to resist his own desires - desires that seemed to have steadily grown with every passing day, no matter how hard he'd tried to ignore or repress them.

 

Knowing what the near future the six of them were facing might hold in store for them, and that it was most likely that none of them would make it through this mission alive, Wonsik didn't feel like lying to himself anymore. It was time to stop fighting it, time to accept that for the first time in his life and against any of his expectations, he'd actually fallen in love with someone of the same sex!

 

          It was time to give in to the urge he'd been fighting for quite a while now...the urge to drown in Jaehwan's kiss again.

 

Not hesitating a second longer, Wonsik finally walked right up to Jaehwan - who was fluffing up the pillow with his back turned - and slung his arms tightly around the vampire's waist. Jaehwan immediately stopped moving, slowly straightened his back, and remained utterly still for a long moment before saying anything. And though Wonsik couldn't see the expression on his face from behind, he somehow felt that Jaehwan was smiling.

 

          "So...," Jaehwan finally broke the intense silence, "...I'm guessing you've finally stopped resisting?"

 

Instead of answering, Wonsik simply tightened his hold on the other's waist, his gesture unmistakably saying 'be mine'. Apparently not satisfied with his non-verbal reply, Jaehwan reached for his arms and gently but resolutely pried them from his body before turning around to face him.

 

Wonsik felt an unexpectedly intense pang when Jaehwan broke free from his embrace.

 

          "Can't you just say it? At least _once_?" Jaehwan's voice drifted toward him, suddenly making him feel extremely soft toward his hyung...and at last making him surrender the last bit of pride he'd so stubbornly held on to. 

 

          "Okay...I'll say it...," Wonsik finally caved, "...I surrender..."

 

          "And...?" Jaehwan probed further.

 

          "And...and I...I won't...pretend...anymore."

 

          "Won't pretend _what_?" Jaehwan asked - though he seemed to already know the answer.

 

          "I won't pretend...that I don't want you," Wonsik quickly surrendered the truth while hugging his hyung even tighter from behind and placing a soft kiss between the shoulder blades of Jaehwan's clothed back.

 

          "That's not really fair," Jaehwan suddenly said with an audible pout in his voice, leaving Wonsik a bit confused about his meaning until he finally elaborated, "It's not fair to kiss me like that when I can't even feel it properly."

 

          "Take my shirt off for me," Jaehwan suddenly added.

 

Wonsik's heart started pounding faster, and his hands trembled slightly when he loosened his grip around his hyung's waist, grabbed the hem of Jaehwan's t-shirt, slowly lifted it up his torso, and finally pulled it over his head. Once Jaehwan's shirt was off, Wonsik immediately slung his arms around his hyung's waist again and placed another, this time much more intimate kiss directly onto the naked skin between Jaehwan's shoulder blades.

 

Feeling Jaehwan shiver slightly beneath the tender touch of his lips, Wonsik found himself surprised at his hyung's reaction. Ever since Jaehwan had been turned into a vampire, Wonsik had gotten used to seeing him as someone fierce and strong, not someone with a soft and vulnerable side.

 

          "Do you even know how long I've waited for you to kiss me like that?" Jaehwan suddenly whispered, catching Wonsik off-guard once more.

 

Instead of apologizing for letting him wait for so long, Wonsik simply replied with another kiss...and another...covering Jaehwan's entire back with kisses until the tremors racking Jaehwan's body intensified. Feeling further encouraged and highly energized by Jaehwan's responses (though his hyung's physical strength was many times superior to his own, he was currently surrendering every ounce of control to his dongsaeng), Wonsik slowly walked both of them over to the wall next to Jaehwan's bed while still hugging him from behind, finally let go of his waist, and gently pushed his hyung up against the wall.

 

Jaehwan's breathing sped up and a startled little yelp escaped his throat the moment Wonsik's hands dipped into his pants and slid right underneath his briefs to firmly seize and gently squeeze both of his naked butt cheeks. Loving the little sounds that fell from his hyung's mouth - especially the soft and throaty moans that escaped when he abruptly reached around to start stroking Jaehwan's cock - Wonsik enthusiastically continued to (literally) slowly drive Jaehwan up the wall with his touches.

 

When Jaehwan's head whipped around toward him - perhaps in a desperate effort to beg Wonsik to stop teasing him so badly - Wonsik seized the moment and Jaehwan's invitingly open mouth. Immediately, and quite aggressively slipping him the tongue, he finally indulged in the kind of kiss he'd secretly hungered for ever since Jaehwan had first overwhelmed him and all of his senses with the very first touch of his soft and plump lips. 

 

♦ ♦ ♦ 

 

Jaehwan's eyes slammed shut when Wonsik's tongue invaded his mouth while his hands shattered his sanity. Even though he wasn't a pure human anymore...and even though he should have felt stronger with his new 'vampire superpowers', Jaehwan felt weaker than ever before. Perhaps the vampire part of him, the very part that gave him almost unlimited strength under normal circumstances, also had the unique side effect of making him feel utterly weak in just this kind of situation...his superior, extremely heightened sensibility allowing him to feel a kiss or a touch that much more intensely than any human being!

 

And now that Wonsik was finally kissing him back passionately...and now that his hands were roaming his body and naughtily teasing the slit of his already desperately leaking cock and the rim of his nervously twitching hole, Jaehwan felt weak as never before...far weaker than he'd ever felt even as a mere human.

 

As if Wonsik's hands weren't enough to torment him, he was now adding insult to injury by starting to talk dirty to him on top of teasingly circling his hole with a saliva-covered finger and only dipping the very tip of his finger into him before immediately pulling it out again...

 

          "I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't quite hear you, baby" Wonsik teased when Jaehwan whined and incoherently expressed his disappointment at not being fingered properly... 

 

          "Did you want _this_?" Wonsik whispered into his ear while suddenly pushing his finger up Jaehwan's hole right up to his knuckle, making him gasp and moan in pleasure...

 

          "Or did you want _this_?" he breathed into Jaehwan's ear while adding a second finger and reaching all the way into Jaehwan's entrance, making him shiver and moan louder...

 

          "Or did you want me to fuck you with three fingers?" Wonsik finally asked, adding yet another lathered finger before dipping his wet, slippery tongue into Jaehwan's ear...

 

Jaehwan's legs were shaking badly from the effort of keeping his trembling body from sliding straight down the wall Wonsik had him pushed up against. Through the thick fog of sensual pleasure clouding his mind, Jaehwan realized that things weren't progressing as he'd expected. Yes, he'd finally gotten Wonsik to give in and open up to the idea of being with him.

 

But 'being with someone' meant so much more to Jaehwan than merely participating in various sexual acts. It meant gentle touches, tender kisses, looking deeply into each other's eyes and feeling a connection that ran much deeper than fingers or a cock could ever reach.

 

Yet here he was, wanting much more from Wonsik than his dongsaeng was offering...wanting to see the genuine emotion in the younger's gaze when he finally took him...wanting to be romantic when they finally did it for the very first time.

 

          But his body was totally screwing it up for him. Because although he wanted so much more from Wonsik, wanted to tell him to be more romantic - at least during their first time - the words simply couldn't make it past his lips...couldn't make it past the many moans that fell in their stead.

 

          Because no matter how much more sexually aggressive than tender or romantic Wonsik's actions and words were, the truth of the matter remained: everything his dongsaeng was doing to him - and even the fact that he was turning Jaehwan into a weak, utterly submissive, and desperately moaning hot mess - was giving Jaehwan the turn-on of his life!

 

Just as Jaehwan had already made up his mind to let Wonsik do with him as he pleased because he had zero will to fight left in him, his dongsaeng, seemingly sensing that something was bothering Jaehwan, finally curbed his aggressiveness and stopped touching him altogether.

 

           "I'm sorry...," Wonsik said, trying to calm his own breathing, "...I shouldn't have...shouldn't have started out like this...I should have been gentler...I just...I got too excited..."

 

          "It's okay," Jaehwan replied, his voice sounding weak even to his own ears. "We can just start over," he added warmly, wanting to sound more reassuring and not like a victim when he'd actually enjoyed Wonsik's aggressiveness much more than he should have and to his own detriment; but Wonsik seemed to see exactly how weak Jaehwan really felt.

 

          "Just a moment," Wonsik abruptly said before quickly disappearing into the bathroom and returning with a bottle of body lotion. "Come here," he finally said while gently pulling Jaehwan toward the bed.

 

After carefully removing both of their clothing until they stood facing each other completely naked, Wonsik sat down in the center of the bed with his back leaning against the headboard and beckoned for Jaehwan to join him. When Jaehwan sat down right next to him, Wonsik simply shook his head and smiled at him, a hint of mischief playing at the corners of his mouth.

 

When Jaehwan didn't completely understand what he wanted him to do - it was his first time, after all! - Wonsik reached over and gently pulled Jaehwan up onto his outstretched legs, letting him sit there for a moment while he opened the container of body lotion and quickly lathered his erection with the slippery substance. Then he carefully lifted Jaehwan up and pulled him forward until his entrance aligned with Wonsik's hard and ready cock and gently let him slide right down onto his thick, long, and pulsating manliness.

 

          "Aaaaaahhh," a moan much deeper in tone than Jaehwan would have thought he could possibly utter coming from his mouth as he slowly slid down Wonsik's erection, the steel-hard, warm, and very much alive cock filling him up and pushing into him so deeply that Jaehwan felt like crying because it felt so unbelievably good!

 

          "Aaarrgghhh," a growl-like moan even lower than Jaehwan's filled the room as Wonsik too failed to hold back the guttural sound of his contentment, "You feel so fucking good!"

 

Jaehwan could feel his cheeks turning red in embarrassment. Before he could actually return the compliment, though, Wonsik had wrapped a hand around his neck and gently tilted Jaehwan's head toward his own neck.

 

          "Here, drink...you need to get your strength back," Wonsik offered his blood to Jaehwan, who didn't really know how to take this. 

 

On the one hand, he was fucking hungry! On the other hand, though, he didn't want to hurt his dongsaeng and wasn't sure if he could remain calm enough in this kind of situation.

 

           "It's okay," Wonsik reassured him, "I know you can control yourself...I know you won't hurt me."

 

Jaehwan hesitated for another moment before finally giving in to his hunger. When he finally did, it was the most satisfying feeling he'd ever experienced.

 

Wonsik started to moan beneath him as Jaehwan carefully dug his fangs into his neck and started sucking. Shortly after, his dongsaeng started to move his lower body to the rhythm of Jaehwan's sucking, gently but deeply pushing into him from beneath...his large, warm hands tightly gripping the flesh of Jaehwan's buttocks and rocking him back and forth on his erection.

 

Before long - after Jaehwan had stopped feeding off of Wonsik - both of them were lost in ecstasy, fucking and moaning into each other's mouths while holding onto each other's backs for comfort and support.

 

          "I think I'm...I'm coming," Jaehwan half spoke, half moaned when he finally pulled his mouth off of Wonsik's after what felt like an eternity.

 

          "Okay, baby...just come," Wonsik's deep, arousal-filled whisper resonated in every part of Jaehwan's being, finally taking him over the edge from listening to Wonsik's sexy, rumbling voice.

 

Jaehwan's whole body trembled when he finally orgasmed while looking deeply into Wonsik's eyes, the intimacy of that moment almost too much for him to handle...a single tear he couldn't hold back embarrassingly sliding right down his face in front of Wonsik's startled gaze. To his immense relief, his eyes finally slammed shut as the most powerful wave of his orgasm crashed over him, and he could escape the look of surprise on Wonsik's face.

 

But even as he found himself wondering if he'd perhaps killed the moment by being way too emotional and if he'd perhaps alienated or burdened Wonsik with his intense outburst, he could feel his dongsaeng trembling beneath him and reach his own climax. And before he could prepare his heart properly, Jaehwan found his upper body in Wonsik's extremely tight embrace...his dongsaeng clinging tightly onto him while burying his suspiciously wet face in Jaehwan's neck.

 

And as Jaehwan kept perfectly still, mesmerized by the wetness against his neck and the frantic rhythms of his and Wonsik's hearts in the aftermath of their perfect lovemaking, soft sounds of sobbing finally reached his ear and pierced his heart...      

 


	37. The Eve Part 2

A warning for anyone who might be sensitive to certain content: while this chapter is _not_ about sexual abuse or non-con but about a power struggle within a consensual sexual relationship, there will be elements of force and slight violence included. 

——————————————————————————————————

Hyuk stood before the entrance to his and Hongbin's new room, hesitating before opening the door. Ever since their heated moment had been so rudely interrupted by Jaehwan the other day, the atmosphere between them had turned awkward again. After quickly glancing over his shoulder at his hyung, who was standing behind him waiting for the maknae to enter the room, Hyuk finally pulled the door open and stepped aside, motioning with his hand for Hongbin to go ahead of him.

 

          "You first," Hyuk insisted when Hongbin simply remained right where he was with his eyebrows questioningly raised at the maknae's behavior; Hyuk guessed his reluctance to go ahead of his hyung must be written all over his face.

 

After Hyuk stubbornly stood his ground, Hongbin finally passed him and walked into the room, and Hyuk found himself letting out a sigh of relief; he did _not_ feel like presenting his back to the vampire! Not even for a second!

 

Because ever since Hongbin had taken control so easily when they'd been about to get intimate, it had become very clear to him that each of them wanted to top and that he needed to keep his eyes on his hyung at all times if he didn't want to end up losing this power struggle!

 

Last time, he'd been taken by surprise by Hongbin's strength. But _this_ time he was prepared.  _This_ time  _he'd_ be the one to take control!

 

Even as these thoughts ran through his head, Hyuk realized how ridiculous it all was. One might think the two of them were facing each other on the battlefield instead of developing a deeper interest in each other. And perhaps things might have been very different between them if they were like any other potential couple - with actual feelings involved.

 

But the dynamics between them were very different from what one would call normal. The two of them seemed to be first and foremost driven by their intense sexual desire for one another. And although Hyuk knew he must of course _like_ Hongbin at least a little bit - otherwise he would never even feel like touching him or being touched by him - he also knew that there were no deeper feelings involved. And he felt quite certain that his hyung felt the same way.

 

Which made their power struggle worse than it otherwise would have been. Because, not feeling emotionally attached to the other, neither of them was willing to compromise and sacrifice what he wanted for the sake of the other. Each of them wanted what he wanted...and each of them would try his best to get it!  

 

And this time around, Hyuk felt rather confident that he would come out on top (literally!) if he was careful and watched his back - since Hongbin hadn't consumed his blood this time, the maknae was sure he was at least a bit stronger than his hyung.

 

Hyuk followed Hongbin into the room, a smug grin already blooming on his face. He was so sure things were going his way!

 

          And that was the stupidest thing he ever could have thought!

 

Because mere seconds after Hyuk unsuspectingly closed the door behind the two of them, he found himself being pinned against the wall beside the door with a force he hadn't thought Hongbin possessed.

 

Hongbin's face was suddenly only a few inches away from Hyuk's, enabling the maknae to finally see what he'd missed before when he'd avoided looking at his hyung properly while heading back to their new room. After first inwardly scolding _himself_ intensely for not paying enough attention and not having noticed the speck of blood still stuck to the corner of Hongbin's mouth, Hyuk angrily confronted his hyung.

 

          "You cheated!" Hyuk accused him, not even bothering to explain his meaning; because from the knowing and extremely smug smile tugging on Hongbin's lips, it was clear as day that he didn't need to.

 

          "How is taking in a nutritious meal _cheating_?" Hongbin replied innocently while his smile just kept growing.

 

          "Oh, don't even feed me that crap!" Hyuk shot back grumpily, though he was having a ridiculously hard time trying not to get distracted by Hongbin's now simply radiant, toothy smile or his knee-weakening dimples, "You and I both know you did it to have an advantage. You knew you weren't strong enough to take me, so you totally cheated and went behind my back to feed on someone else!"

 

          "Just listen to yourself...," Hongbin cooly replied, obviously amused and not showing even an ounce of guilt for what he'd done, "...you sound like an eight-year-old."

 

          "So? I don't care...," Hyuk answered, completely owning the immature behavior he'd just been accused of portraying and not caring one bit, "...You cheated...and you know it!"

 

          "Okay...fine...," Hongbin finally admitted, chuckling softly, "...we'll call it cheating then."

 

          "So who was it?" Hyuk pried instead of just letting it go; whoever had helped Hongbin gain an advantage over him was soooooo done for!

 

          "Trust me...," Hongbin replied cryptically while winking at him, "...you don't want to know."

 

Which immediately had Hakyeon's face flashing in front of Hyuk's mind's eye, Hongbin's 'you don't want to know' certainly meaning the _one_ person Hyuk wouldn't want to go up against - that meant it was their leader, the _one_ person all of them had to trust the most right now with the dark future they were facing.

 

          "Prick!" Hyuk simply replied because there was nothing else he could say or do about the situation anyway; Hongbin had known _exactly_ what he was doing and had won, simple as that!

 

          "You know, you're even more irresistible when you're all riled up like this," Hongbin suddenly surprised Hyuk by immediately turning from amused to sexually aggressive as though by the flick of a switch.

 

Hyuk's breath caught and his heart leaped into his throat, the preceding minutes of light and almost amusing banter vanishing completely in the face of the highly intense sexual atmosphere Hongbin had managed to create with his words, his heated gaze, and his low and sensual voice.

 

The last bit of confidence and arrogance Hyuk possessed finally vanished completely as Hongbin's glowing, yellow eyes stared him down and pierced right into him, the vampire's orbs clearly hypnotizing its prey before moving in for the actual attack.

 

Hyuk felt like a deer caught in the headlights, completely unable to move...pinned to the wall not by the strength of Hongbin's arms at that moment but by the hypnotic power of his gaze - which Hyuk guessed must have also been greatly intensified because of the nutritious 'snack' Hakyeon had provided him with not too long ago.

 

Cursing their leader in his mind - because there was nothing _else_ he could do in this situation! - Hyuk mentally tried to brace himself for what he instinctively knew was coming. For, seeing the predatory look in Hongbin's eyes, he knew the vampire wouldn't be gentle.

 

But even while the prospect of having his almost completely untouched hole penetrated was scary as hell, he also felt strangely satisfied with finally resolving the extreme sexual tension that had kept building and building between them this entire time. Having sex with Hongbin was the only way to alleviate that already burning itch none of them had been able to scratch for such a long time. So he really needed to satisfy that urge before he could move on and get over wanting him.

 

Knowing he was physically no match for Hongbin, and concentrating hard on the fact that he really needed to do this...that he just needed to get this over with in order to finally find closure - and that he simply couldn't deal with how much he wanted Hongbin all the time anymore - Hyuk managed to close his eyes and evade the vampire's hypnotic gaze; while he didn't think this would gain him any real advantages over his hyung, escaping the vampire's piercing glance  _did_ make him feel a bit calmer.

 

But even with his eyes closed, Hyuk could all too clearly sense his hyung moving closer.

 

          "You smell fucking delicious when you're afraid," Hongbin ominously whispered in Hyuk's ear, making him shiver and go weak at the knees.

 

And even before Hyuk could stop his body from betraying him and starting to shake, he found himself being dragged across the room and flung straight onto one of the hitherto unused beds. The welcoming fragrance of fresh flowers greeted his nose from the freshly washed bed covers beneath him, the softness of the fragrance and the sheets starkly contrasting with Hongbin's wild behavior as his hyung started pinning him in place once again, this time against the mattress beneath his back.

 

          "You don't mind if I help you slip into something more comfortable, right?" Hongbin suggestively whispered into his ear a second before placing both of Hyuk's wrists right next to each other above his own head and securely holding them in place with only one, incredibly strong hand.

 

The next moment, Hyuk found the shirt he'd been wearing ripped to shreds - little, helpless buttons flying everywhere - and the rest of his clothing faring no better as it landed on the floor in heaps of now completely useless rags.

 

          "Now, isn't this much more comfortable?" Hongbin asked him, naughtily grinning from ear to ear, obviously proud of his achievement.

 

          "Not really," Hyuk defiantly answered in a reasonably cool and stable voice while his naked body shivered traitorously beneath his hyung, utterly betraying the fact that he in no way felt as unaffected as he was trying to sound.

 

Not having been fooled for even a second, of course, Hongbin merely flashed him an even naughtier, knowing smile before bending further down to leisurely start tracing the tip of his warm and wet tongue right across Hyuk's quickly hardening nipple.

 

Hyuk somehow managed to repress the moan longing to escape his throat, not wanting to give Hongbin the satisfaction of hearing him moan if he could possibly avoid it - which, he had a feeling, would turn out to be incredibly difficult.

 

And just as this thought crossed his mind, Hyuk could already feel his control slipping...Hongbin's incredibly naughty mouth now positively making him want to scream as his hyung actually started to sink his fangs into the areola surrounding his nipple and lap up the blood blossoming all around the sensitive tit.

 

          "Aaah...oughh...," Hyuk finally started to moan loudly, his voice growing in intensity every time Hongbin sucked his blood even harder.

 

          "That's right...," Hongbin's low, sensual voice reached Hyuk's ears, making his already quite hard cock grow even harder, "...moan for me, maknae."

 

Hearing the satisfaction in Hongbin's voice, Hyuk tried to contain himself again, but completely lost the battle after the very next move Hongbin made. Having quickly grabbed a shredded piece of clothing from the floor while Hyuk was still too distracted from what his hyung had done to his sanity to react quickly enough, Hongbin bound his wrists with the fabric so that he could roam Hyuk's body unhindered.

 

And before Hyuk knew what was in store for him, Hongbin had already started leaving a trail of little bites all the way down his naked, vulnerable, and trembling body, finally sinking his teeth into his femoral vein located on the inside of his thigh...right underneath his throbbing and already painful erection.

 

Hyuk's voice exploded, his moan loudly piercing through the room while Hongbin continued to pleasurably lap up his blood, letting his tongue glide upward to lick at the underside of Hyuk's balls while he was at it. And as if it wasn't enough yet, he wet two of his fingers and slid them right into Hyuk's hole at the same time to torture him from the inside as well. 

 

Hyuk's body felt as if it were on fire, and he couldn't do anything to keep it from trembling or to stop his back from arching and his neck from overstretching while Hongbin made him go out of his mind. Completely at Hongbin's mercy - who gave him only a short moment to catch his breath while he went in search of some lubricant -, Hyuk soon found himself being driven crazy and screaming himself hoarse (his voice so high-pitched, he sounded like a fucking woman!) when Hongbin repeatedly pounded into him from behind, fucking him hard and strong.

 

And even though he was still somewhat sulky that _his ass_ was the one being fucked instead of him being able to pound into Hongbin, Hyuk simply had to admit - even if only to himself - that being taken in this kind of way was absolutely mind-blowing and thrilling...and that it was turning him on so badly he was having an incredibly hard time trying not to come.

 

In truth, he'd already felt like coming almost from the very moment Hongbin had started to suck the blood from his inner thigh! But picturing the self-satisfied smile he knew would appear on Hongbin's face if he came that early, Hyuk had fought extremely hard not to climax.

 

However, the time had finally arrived where he just couldn't hold on anymore. With one last drawn-out and shaky cry after Hongbin had just once again lifted his ass high up into the air and expertly pounded right into him to hit his prostate at just the right angle, Hyuk finally came, his body convulsing heavily and his sperm shooting out of him to stain the bedsheets beneath.

 

While he was riding out his orgasm, Hyuk's entrance repeatedly tightened around and firmly squeezed Hongbin's cock even as his hyung still fucked into him, making Hongbin suddenly moan loud as well right before coming and spilling his warm, sticky come right into Hyuk's ass.

 

           "Aaaaaaah...," Hongbin breathily moaned into his ear from behind while still slowly moving inside him, "...your ass is squeezing me so fucking tightly...I love it."

 

After a long moment of silence, Hyuk - who'd collapsed right onto the mattress beneath his belly when Hongbin had finally completely finished coming - tried to get his hyung to climb off of him, thinking they were done for the night after Hongbin had gone at it so hard. But Hongbin seemed far from finished, his cock - which he hadn't even pulled out yet - already starting to get hard again even though they'd only just finished having sex.

 

          "How can you be hard again?" Hyuk gasped in surprise as soon as he realized the change in the cock still buried deep inside him.

 

          "Because of what you do to me...," Hongbin breathed in his ear before starting to lick it, making Hyuk moan slightly again, "...I couldn't help but replay your moaning inside my head...and now I'm hard again...Plus, it must be a vampire strength thing."

 

          "You've got to be joking me...," Hyuk said desperately even while he could feel his own cock already respond again to Hongbin's words, "...you can't honestly want to fuck me again?!"

 

          "I can't help it...," Hongbin confessed, "...you make me crazy!"

 

          "How crazy?" Hyuk asked, suddenly curious if Hongbin felt the same kind of sexual longing for him as he did for his hyung.

 

          "So crazy I want to eat you!" Hongbin growled in answer, the tips of his fangs coming out to lightly poke Hyuk's neck.

 

          "I hope you don't mean that in a literal sense!" Hyuk warned, even though he was pretty sure Hongbin had used it as a metaphor for wanting to fuck him.

 

          "Hmmm...not going to tell you," Hongbin teased while licking his neck instead of drawing blood and starting to move inside him once again.

 

In under a minute, Hyuk was lost again, drowning in the intensity that was Hongbin! After moaning and crying from being fucked in all the right ways for what felt like the entire night - and actually it was! - Hyuk found himself sleepily facing dawn when Hongbin finally seemed to have had enough sex.

 

After the second round Hongbin had started, Hyuk had actually already expected that it could turn out to be a really, really long night. But what he hadn't expected - at all! - was that with every new round of what had started out as simple sex without any attachment, something seemed to have changed between them as the hours and their sexual encounters had progressed...

 

...as Hongbin had suddenly started turning Hyuk around instead of only taking him from the back...

...as his hyung's lips had hesitantly inched closer to his while he was slowly moving inside him...

...as Hongbin had finally started kissing him - something the two of them hadn't even done at that point...

...as Hongbin had deepened the kiss and started moaning along with him while both of them moved very slowly and fucked deeply...

...as his hyung had finally untied him and had trusted Hyuk not to fight over positions anymore...

...as they'd kissed more after having sex...

...as they'd cuddled close to each other and had held one another right before finally falling asleep...

 

And even though Hyuk still couldn't define what exactly they were to each other, one thing had become very clear: none of them felt indifferently anymore!


	38. The Eve Part 3

In the dead of night, Taekwoon suddenly awoke with a start, his whole body covered in sweat and trembling - though he had no idea why! After snuggling closer to Hakyeon's comforting and warm body - spooning his boyfriend from behind - he soon found himself taken aback by the other's abrupt movements.

 

Scooting back to observe him better and see what was wrong, Taekwoon suddenly realized that his boyfriend was having a full-fledged nightmare, his arms actually flailing wildly in his sleep as if he were trying to fend off something.

 

Without the slightest warning, the nightmare Taekwoon had suffered through yet had completely forgotten about the moment he'd returned to reality, came crashing back into his consciousness, immediately knocking the breath right out of him. Taekwoon desperately struggled to keep calm and not lose it as the memories of the frighteningly realistic dream he'd had filled his entire being:

 

_Finest specks of dust were swept up from the sandy ground at Taekwoon's feet, gathering together inside a vortex of wind to form great swirling clouds of particles and impeding his vision for several heartbeats._

_Though it went against his every instinct of keeping his eyes open and on his enemy at all times, Taekwoon couldn't help but slam his eyes shut and lower his head to escape the swirling dust clouds, the immense amount of particles in the air making them water and sting._

_The very moment he finally managed to force them open again, his downward gaze immediately met the eyes of one of his brothers..._

_...opened wide...staring up at him from the ground...without the slightest spark of recognition...cold...lifeless...dead to the world..._

 

_Taekwoon stumbled backward, shocked to his very core and suddenly feeling just as empty inside as the pair of dull, no longer shining eyes that couldn't follow his movements anymore...that would never again be illuminated by the beautiful light of its owner's soul._

 

_As Taekwoon's head frantically spun around to take in the entirety of the chaos and devastation that was unfolding right before his eyes, his gaze found falling brother upon falling brother...the other vampires' fangs ripping at their cyborg brother's throat and at each other's after having fallen victim to the evil shadow that robbed them of every last ounce of their humanity, making them commit the unimaginable...the unforgivable...the murder of their own loved ones, their own bothers, without a single moment of hesitation or regret._

 

_Taekwoon's eyes filled with tears, the liquid dangerously impairing his sight until he finally managed to wipe it away...all the while feeling unimaginable agony taking over every cell of his body...the sensation so strong it felt as though it might rip him apart from the inside._

 

_Before he could let his grief completely overpower him and bring him to his knees in front of the bloody and mangled bodies of his dead brothers, Taekwoon suddenly caught movement out of the corner of his eye. After spinning around so quickly that he almost lost his footing, he immediately found what had managed to catch his attention._

 

_As soon as he saw his lover darting across the dunelike sand, sliding and falling to his knees...running for his life from the shadowy creature already reaching for his heart...Taekwoon started racing toward him with a speed he hadn't known he even possessed. Driven by the most intense and desperate need he'd ever felt in his entire life, Taekwoon ran to save the one who meant more to him than his own life...more to him than the entire universe._

 

_Not thinking about what would happen if he failed...not even daring to imagine what it would feel like if he lost him...Taekwoon raced against the shadow on his lover's heels with his trembling hand already outstretched - though what he thought he would actually be able to do to save Hakyeon once he reached him was as unclear to him as any of their future..._

 

Though Taekwoon was no longer caught in his horribly realistic nightmare, the full weight of its memory and of the emotions he'd felt while enduring it hit him with the force of Thor's hammer. Instinctively connecting on a psychic level with his still writhing boyfriend in order to read his thoughts even while he was sleeping - something he'd never done before but had somehow felt like trying just then - Taekwoon immediately found himself experiencing his own nightmare from Hakyeon's point of view.

 

Even before Taekwoon could shake his boyfriend awake, and right at the moment when he saw his own outstretched hand through Hakyeon's eyes, the latter suddenly awoke from his nightmare, his arms still flailing wildly even after Taekwoon turned him around and scooped him into his tight embrace to comfort him.

 

          "Noooooo!...noooo...n-noo...no...," Hakyeon sobbed uncontrollably against Taekwoon's chest, his trembling voice getting weaker with each utterance of denial.

 

Taekwoon could feel his thin t-shirt quickly getting soaked through with Hakyeon's tears and started lovingly stroking his back.

 

          "It's okay...," Taekwoon said, even though it was a lie...even though nothing in this world was okay or would ever be okay if what they'd both seen was going to come true; but no other words came to mind but this utterly useless phrase meant to give comfort when in reality there was none.

 

          "It...it's...n-not...okay...," Hakyeon somehow managed between sobs, immediately calling Taekwoon out on his obvious lie...on the empty words Taekwoon hadn't really wanted to offer either and for which he kind of hated himself.

 

He hated that he couldn't offer more...that he couldn't even comfort his boyfriend with words like 'Don't worry, it's just a dream' - because somehow he knew it wasn't. He hated that he wasn't powerful enough to protect all of them from the fate that awaited them.

 

          "Help me...," Hakyeon finally whispered, disrupting Taekwoon's thoughts, his voice sounding desperate and pleading, "...help me save them."

 

As Taekwoon's thoughts connected with his lover's, both of them returning to the memories of their lifeless brothers and feeling the agony tear at their very guts, Taekwoon silently promised him in a way only his boyfriend could hear.

 

          _I promise_ , Taekwoon assured him without using actual words and meaning it with every fibre of his being,  _I promise you, we'll find a way to save them...to save us all..._

 

 


	39. Duped

Hongbin silently followed Hyuk from the room, watching the maknae's every step on their way to the main dining hall, where they were going to have a quick breakfast and a briefing before finally departing on their mission. Not having known what to say to each other after having shared such an incredibly long, intimate night without actually being a real couple, neither of them had spoken a word.

 

Hongbin vividly remembered the awkwardness between them the moment they'd both awoken in each other's arms after only a few hours of sleep when someone had suddenly knocked on their door to inform them that they were expected to join the other members at the breakfast table. Without even looking at each other, they'd immediately untangled their arms and legs and quickly taken turns showering before heading out.

 

Watching Hyuk's body move in front of him - and especially noticing how the maknae was limping slightly - Hongbin's mind flashed right back to the things the two of them had done. But surprisingly enough, the memories that came at him the hardest and made his heart race all over again just by recalling them weren't the ones about their wild and sexually aggressive actions...but the ones pertaining to the softer moments they'd shared...when he'd felt they'd connected on a much deeper and emotional level...the moments that were slowly starting to melt his heart.

 

          _What the fuck is wrong with you?_ Hongbin silently scolded himself while energetically shaking his head as if he could actually make the feelings go away if he denied them vehemently enough.

 

Because who the fuck needed to catch feelings when they were about to head off to a mission they were likely not to come back from? The only thing it would do was distract him like crazy when he least needed it and kill him that much faster!

 

Thankfully Hyuk didn't seem to notice Hongbin's inner struggle and just kept going without paying mind to him or looking back at him even once. And by the time the two of them finally reached the breakfast table and met the other four, Hongbin had fortunately managed to regain his composure and put on a poker face. The last thing he needed was for everyone else to notice that something had happened between them and that it was seriously starting to affect him.

 

          "What's up with the two of you?" Hakyeon immediately shattered Hongbin's hope and belief that he'd actually managed to keep his private matters from them; he should have known Hakyeon would be a busybody!

 

And he probably should have foreseen the possibility that even though  _he_ might be good at hiding the fact that something was going on, _Hyuk_ might not be.

 

          "What's up with your expression, Hyukkie?...And why the hell are you limping?" Hakyeon asked further, his expression simply curious at first until it completely changed a second later when he finally seemed to realize what it must mean.

 

          "Fuck!...Lee Hongbin...you promised!" Hakyeon burst out angrily, his hand seemingly unconsciously reaching for the side of his neck at the same time. 

 

Completely taken aback by the fact that Hakyeon had just openly alluded to something that should have remained a secret between the two of them, Hongbin was unable to reply immediately. While he still struggled to find a good reply - hoping that their leadernim wouldn't disclose more about what had transpired between Hakyeon and him - the matter was suddenly taken out of both of their hands.

 

          "You did _what_?" Taekwoon shot at Hakyeon seemingly out of the blue, since neither Hongbin nor Hakyeon had spoken further.

 

          "I'm sorry...I...I can explain," Hakyeon immediately replied, his tone of voice clearly apologetic.

 

But before he could actually explain anything, Taekwoon's hands flew to Hakyeon's neck, the tips of his fingers carefully examining his skin...almost as though he were checking for bite marks - which would, of course, be long gone by now since cyborgs' bodies healed very quickly.

 

          "There's nothing there...anymore," Hakyeon replied in a quiet voice.

 

Instead of saying anything, Taekwoon just silently stared into Hakyeon's eyes, and Hongbin found himself both extremely curious and apprehensive about his next words. He also found himself wondering about how in the world Taekwoon had suddenly suspected that Hakyeon had been bitten in the first place.

 

Hongbin held his breath and waited for several minutes, in which Taekwoon and Hakyeon almost seemed to be having a whole silent conversation - a notion as crazy as it was impossible.

 

And just when Hongbin started to let down his guard again, since Hakyeon clearly hadn't told his boyfriend anything, Taekwoon suddenly jumped up from his seat opposite Hongbin, leaned right across the table - knocking over various dishes of food and his own beverage in his haste - and was about to wrap his long, outstretched fingers around Hongbin's neck.

 

But before he could actually succeed, Hakyeon wrapped his arms around Taekwoon from behind and started pulling him back with all his might - something Hongbin wouldn't have thought possible seeing how strong Taekwoon was.

 

But Hakyeon simply wouldn't give up. After a few moments, Taekwoon finally stopped trying to wring Hongbin's neck and slowly sat back down again, though his expression and the gaze he was fixing Hongbin with still seemed murderous.

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Hakyeon sat back down next to Taekwoon, panting slightly from his efforts to hold the other back. He'd thought he'd had everything under control...had thought that Taekwoon never even needed to know that he'd finally given in to Hongbin's desperate request to let him feed off of him.

 

Having been completely duped into believing Hongbin's words when he'd told him it was for the maknae's sake because Hyuk seemed to have been weakened too much by their previous feeding sessions and that he wanted to spare him until he recovered, Hakyeon had let him feed off of him in the end.

 

Yet as soon as he'd seen Hyuk's expression and had noticed him limping, it had become clear to him that Hongbin had simply used him to get what he wanted. And at that moment, when he'd suddenly flashed back to his conversation with Hongbin and the latter's promise that he would let the maknae rest if Hakyeon fed him instead, Taekwoon had, of course, read his mind and discovered what Hakyeon had never intended to let him find out - since he knew of his boyfriend's tendency to get overly jealous.

 

And now, Hakyeon found himself deeply regretting the choices he'd made the day before. From what Jaehwan had told him earlier, Hakyeon was well aware of the fact that there was both a strong attraction and a power struggle going on between Hongbin and Hyuk. And had he known that Hongbin would use the strength he'd gained from drinking his blood to get one up on the poor maknae, he never would have allowed him to feed off of him.

 

Hakyeon realized he needed to have a very heartfelt talk with his disobedient dongsaeng and scold him harshly for tricking him and taking advantage of the maknae. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have butted in when it came to someone else's relationship. But seeing as he'd been the one being used to give Hongbin an obvious advantage, Hakyeon simply couldn't let this one slide!

 

He was about to ask Hongbin to follow him from the dining hall so the two of them could talk, but he never got a chance to do so. Because before he could even get up from his seat, the door to the big dining hall opened and the head of the medical team as well as the project's lead scientist entered to brief them on the particulars of their mission before they set out within the hour. 

 

 

 

 

 


	40. Into the Unknown

Hakyeon's hands were shaking as he stood at the very front of the line of chained and blindfolded members, who were all waiting to be led to the facility where the space capsules they would travel in were located. His mind flashed back to the particulars they'd been told about their mission. All of them had been astonished to hear that they were being sent to a distant planet apparently known as one of the shadow's most frequented haunts.

 

But more astonishing than that - and thousand times more upsetting! - was the fact that the organization had actually gone and set up the perfect bate to lure the evil creature there in time for the members to launch their attack. The perfect bate being the purest and most brilliantly shining soul they were able to find - which just so happened to be found in a beautiful and innocent young girl they'd decided to sacrifice as easily as if they'd been deciding about their next meal.

 

Hakyeon and the others had been furious after finding out about the human sacrifice. But no amount of objections or counterarguments had been able to change their superior's minds. More to the point, though, it seemed it was much too late as the girl had apparently already been brought there and tied up at the place of the sacrificial rite.

 

Hakyeon folded his hands in an effort to stop them from shaking, feeling the full weight of the heavy metal shackles attached to and connecting his wrists. When they'd been told they needed to be shackled and blindfolded while being guided to the space capsules because the staff working at the facility was afraid of them, it was just another blow to Hakyeon. There they were, having given up part of their humanity to try and save them all, and that was the thanks they were getting in return? Though, on second thought, who could really blame them? Hakyeon had experienced the difficulties they'd all had trying to control their sudden inhuman urges. So although it still kind of stung, he could indeed understand them.

 

Lost in his thoughts, Hakyeon almost didn't register the fact that the door in front of him had been opened. But after hearing the distinctive squeaking sound the metal hinges made, he carefully walked through the doorway, the others quickly following him.

 

The air surrounding them felt thick with smoke. And when their blindfolds were finally removed, Hakyeon could see it white and swirling in the air around them, adding to the grey and cold atmosphere of the ominous facility. Fully taking in his surroundings now, Hakyeon could see 6 towering dark-grey machines that appeared to hold the space capsules. On each of them, it read in large white letters: NO-A.03 CANNON ROCKET ROVIX.

 

After getting their chains split in the middle by an ax and then completely removed by one of the female agents attending to them, each of the members was placed on a metal surface at the entrance of the device and thus loaded right into their respective space capsules.

 

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Taekwoon couldn't help but feel regretful! He'd felt so angry and disappointed at Hakyeon and Hongbin's 'betrayal' that he hadn't felt like letting it go and forgiving them right after finding out about it. And by the time he'd finally calmed down enough to see reason - especially since he knew they might not have much time together and that they needed to be on good terms and trust each other in order to get through all the shit that was coming - he didn't have the chance to tell them before they'd all been whisked away to a special room where they'd had a few hours to prepare for their departure.

 

But the hours they'd spent together there had been used for other, more important things than for apologies or for clearing the air between them. They had been used to implement a plan none of them could be certain would actually work. But it was the only thing that could possibly save them!

 

He still remembered the others' reactions when Hakyeon had told them everything about his dream, his abilities, and the connection he shared with Taekwoon. And he vividly recalled their initial doubt, their fear, but also the trust they'd put in Hakyeon and Taekwoon's plan in the end. Because they all knew it well: This plan was all they had!   

 

Since he hadn't had a chance earlier, he regretted not being able to let Hongbin know that he wasn't angry at him anymore. And he regretted more than anything that he hadn't been able to tell Hakyeon that he loved him and give him a kiss before their departure. Because God knew what would await them when their pods reached their designated target.

 

          _I already know, silly!_ Taekwoon suddenly heard thoughts that definitely weren't his own, making him smile to himself. He should have known Hakyeon the busybody would be lurking in his mind.

          _Busybody? Lurking? Now that's not very nice!_

_No, it's not,_ Taekwoon agreed while smirking _, You really should change your ways._

After not immediately hearing a reply, Taekwoon was starting to think Hakyeon might actually be offended when he finally heard his boyfriend's next thoughts.

          _I love you...You probably already know that...but I...I wanted to say it!_  

           _I love you too,_ Taekwoon silently replied while wiping at the corners of his eyes, feeling much too raw and emotional for his liking; but there was nothing he could do about that.

          _Promise me we won't die...promise me we'll save every single last soul!_ Hakyeon softly pleaded.

          _I promise!_ Taekwoon replied in his mind, meaning it with every fiber of his being and clinging onto this very thought as the space capsule he was confined to started to shake violently after the cannon rocket roared to life and prepared to catapult him into space...into the unknown.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this chapter. Please comment if you can. It helps me out tremendously to know what you're thinking, and it also keeps me motivated to continue writing. If you like the story, please give it kudos. It's always nice to know if someone actually enjoys reading what you write. Thanks for your interest, and I hope you have a great day :-)


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